Patterns of Substance Abuse and Attrition among First-Year Students

This study is designed to develop characteristic profiles of college students whose substance use results in an emergency medical intervention or an institutional intervention. During the 1997-1998 academic year, 255 students required emergency medical or institutional intervention related to substance abuse. Of the 255 students, 42.3% ( n = 110) were freshmen. Sophomores constituted the second largest group accounting for 26.5% ( n = 68), and juniors represented the third smallest group of substance abusing students, at 18.97% ( n = 49). Subsequently seniors represented the smallest undergraduate group of students, accounting for only 10.67% ( n = 28).