Journal of Education & Social Policy

Promotive and Protective Factors of Illegal Substances Usage among College Students
Jackson de Carvalho, PhD; Darron Garner, PhD, LCSW

Abstract
Substance abuse is rising in the United States, especially among adolescent college students exposed to a new environment with a lack of supervision and a desire to belong. During this transition, they are exposed to the use of illegal substances. The research on college substance use is expansive. Nevertheless, there is a lack of studies on promotive and protective factors for college students who use illegal substances. This study aimed to determine promotive and protective factors for substance usage. Thus, this study explored the relationship between gender, social class identification, self, Spirituality, and peer/parental exposure to substance usage and illegal substance use. Results showed that the promotive and protective factors of friend use, parent use, and spiritual connection significantly correlated with substance use in college students. These results indicated the importance of prevention and intervention programs for college students. Findings showed that exposure to peers using substances were a significant indicator of substance use. Hopefully, this study will increase awareness about the issue of increased American substance use and that understanding the findings can inform the development of interventions to address the problem.

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