HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF NUI GALWAY
UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:
THE STUDENT LIFESTYLE SURVEY
PÁDRAIG MACNEELA1, CINDY DRING2, ERIC VAN LENTE,
CHRISTOPHER PLACE, JOHN DRING AND JOHN MCCAFFREY1
1
SCHOOL OF PSYCHOLOGY
2
STUDENT SERVICES
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, GALWAY
1
2
1. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We wish to acknowledge the support and assistance of NUI Galway students
and staff in carrying out this study. Matt Doran, Mary O'Riordan and Una
McDermott merit special mention of our appreciation. We would also like to
acknowledge the assistance and facilities provided by Student Services,
Management Information Systems and the School of Psychology. The NUI
Galway Student Projects Fund supported the study through a project grant.
The research was conducted independently and as the lead authors we take
responsibility for the opinions expressed in the report. Our co-authors assisted
us in designing the survey and data collection (Christopher Place), analysis of
the data set and drafting the findings (Eric Van Lente, John Dring, John
McCaffrey).
We hope the Student Lifestyle Survey report will provide useful information
on the experience of undergraduate students at NUI Galway. The health and
well-being of students are important concerns of the University community.
The information we provide could help further target the extensive skills,
resources and research expertise available on campus. In addition to
identifying priorities for supporting health, the survey findings are a baseline
for comparison in the future.
Dr Pádraig MacNeela, Lecturer, School of Psychology, and Cindy Dring, MA,
Health Promotion Officer, Student Services.
June 2012
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2. BACKGROUND
2.1. INTRODUCTION
Student physical, mental, and social well-being is centrally important to the
university experience. The 2009-2014 Strategic Plan for the National
University of Ireland, Galway (NUI Galway) is committed to preparing
graduates for learning, life and work, in part through a holistic educational
experience and support services. The university environment ought to enable
personal and social development alongside the educational experience. The
Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB) described student support services as
contributing to this process, "by providing professional services which support
the holistic development of the person, thereby enabling all students to
achieve their full academic and personal potential" (IUQB, 2006, p. 9).
Student welfare services are designed to support and encourage students to
make choices conducive to positive health and well-being. Lifestyle choices
can have a profound impact on students at university and subsequently.
Evidence is therefore required to identify priority issues for student support
services and the university community more generally. The Student Lifestyle
Survey was carried out to assess student health and well-being and as a
baseline to measure change over time. The findings can be used to inform
policies and strategies aimed at supporting students.
2.2. STUDENT WELL-BEING
The transition to third level is a critical period. In the course of attending
university, students form friendships, new living arrangements and social
patterns. This experience is one of the most positive and memorable stages in
life. However, going to college is also a time when adjustment difficulties and
harmful health-related behaviours can become established. Thus, university
life brings challenges such as managing lifestyle choices, the development of
self care skills and personal independence (Parker et al., 2002). Students
encounter and must adjust to new demands in social, academic and financial
domains. It is, therefore, important to engage with students in relation to
their health in order to support successful university experience, linked to
both academic performance and student retention (DeBerard et al., 2004;
Pascarella et al., 2007).
2.3. THE STUDENT LIFESTYLE SURVEY
The Student Lifestyle Survey (SLS) was carried out to explore the behaviours,
perceptions and experiences of a cross-section of NUI Galway undergraduate
students. The College Lifestyle and Attitudes National (CLAN) Survey was
used as a guide in planning the study (Hope et al., 2005). The CLAN survey
was carried out in 2002 with a sample of 3,259 full-time undergraduate
students. It established a profile of student lifestyle habits in respect of
general and mental health, diet, exercise, accidents and injuries, sexual
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health, substance use and drinking patterns. This was the first survey of
health behaviours and attitudes among third level students in all Irish
universities and Institutes of Technology. Coping skills, work / study balance,
and alcohol-related harm were particular areas of concern identified in the
findings. The CLAN survey found that regular binge drinking was associated
with a cluster of risky or harmful behaviours, such as cannabis use and
cigarette smoking and other negative consequences such as money problems,
academic difficulties, fights and unprotected sex (Hope et al., 2005). The
definition of binge drinking used in the SLS is the same as that used in the
CLAN survey, namely, consuming eight or more standard drinks on one
drinking occasion. This equates to four pints of beer, a bottle of wine or seven
single measures of spirits (Hope et al., 2005).
Drawing on the CLAN survey, the SLS was designed to provide an updated
picture of health behaviours and attitudes among NUI Galway students. It
also extended the CLAN survey methodology, by including a wider range of
mental health questions and a section on student engagement.
2.4. RESEARCH AIM
The Student Lifestyle Survey was designed as a cross-sectional survey of NUI
Galway students on attitudes, health behaviours and academic engagement,
to address the following aims:
 Provide an overview of lifestyle habits and attitudes among
undergraduate students.
 Make a comparative analysis of responses to different survey topics
according to gender and year of study.
 Provide baseline data on health behaviours, such as drinking patterns,
drug use, and smoking to inform initiatives that support student health
and well being.
2.5. SUPPORT AND FUNDING
Funding to carry out the Student Lifestyle Survey was provided by the
Student Project Fund at NUI Galway, following approval of the project
proposal. A consultation group was formed to guide survey development,
comprising university staff from the Centre for Excellence in Learning and
Teaching, college advisory services, Student Services, the Students Union,
Counselling Services, and the Health Promotion Research Centre. The study
received approval from the University‟s Research Ethics Committee.
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3. METHODOLOGY
3.1. DESIGN
Students responded to a self-administered survey that was hosted on an
online survey website. The sampling frame comprised all full-time
undergraduate students. Students were randomly sampled from a list
provided through university databases, using a stratified sampling procedure
to elicit proportional representation from NUI Galway colleges and by year of
course. Students were contacted to take part by sending an invitation to their
university email address. A prize draw was provided as an incentive to
complete the questionnaire.
A response rate of approximately 30% was anticipated. Given the intention to
conduct statistical analysis of sub-groups, a target sample size of 1,202 was
calculated. Therefore an invitation was sent to 3,500 students using a
sampling frame provided through university information services. The delivery
of 37 emails failed, and 986 students responded, giving a response rate of
28%. Analysis of responses by item indicated non-completion of some survey
items, especially toward the end of the survey. A final sample of 841 students
was retained following appraisal of missing data, and is the sample used in
presenting the findings.
3.2. SUMMARY OF STUDENT LIFESTYLE SURVEY CONTENT
The survey form was divided into seven topics (Appendix 1). Validated
measures were included along with items from international, national and
college surveys. We drew on the CLAN survey questionnaire for items and
reviewed surveys such as SLÁN, HBSC, ESPAD, the Trinity College study on
sexual health, the Higher Education Authority European Student Survey and
the international ECAS study on drinking patterns.
The SLS comprised the following sections:
1. Welcome. Introduction to the purpose of the research, study
information and contact details for the researchers.
2. About you. Demographic items adapted from the CLAN survey.
3. General health, food habits and tobacco use. One-item measure
of physical health (CLAN); tobacco use indicators from the 2007 SLAN
survey (Morgan et al., 2008); items on fruit and vegetable intake
based on current HSE healthy eating guidelines; items on sleep
adapted from the Sleep Heart Health Study Questionnaire (Quan et al.,
1997).
4. Alcohol use. CLAN items on drinking frequency, consumption of
specific drinks, frequency of binge drinking (four pints of peer, a bottle
of wine, seven single measure of spirits, six premixed spirits), harmful
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5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
consequences of drinking; the RAPS 4 four-item measure of clinically
significant alcohol dependence during the last year (Cherpitel, 2000).
Other substances. Items on frequency and recency of cannabis use
(CLAN); the Severity of Dependence Scale to assess cannabis
dependence (Martin et al., 2006); items to assess frequency of use of
other drugs (CLAN).
Sexual health. Items on sexual activity status, condom use,
emergency contraception, based on the American National Longitudinal
Study of Adolescent Health (Udry, 2003), the Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance System (CDC, 2009) and CLAN.
Mental health. One item mental health measure (CLAN); perceptions
of stress measure adapted from CLAN scale (response options from
'very often' to 'never'); the physical vitality and mental health subscales of the SF-36 measure of health and well-being (Ware, 1993).
Student engagement. The first section of the Shortened Experiences
of Teaching and Learning Questionnaire for higher education (items 18; ETL Project, 2005); Supportive Campus items from the US National
Survey of Student Engagement Benchmarks of Effective Educational
Practice (Kuh, 2001); the Basic Needs Satisfaction measure of selfdetermination (measures of perceived autonomy, competence, and
social relatedness; Gagne 2003); evaluation of the educational
experience at NUI; overall mark for the previous academic year (or
Semester 1 mark for first years); awareness of student support
services and university facilities; hours per week spent in volunteering,
sports participation, societies and club.
Thank you. Information on student support services.
3.3. PROCEDURE
The survey content was developed in consultation with the project steering
committee. We recruited university staff and student representatives to this
group to draw on specialised knowledge of the student experience. This
collaborative approach assisted in item design and selection of standardised
measures. The SLS was presented online. We designed a survey form hosted
on a survey website, and piloted it with 20 students. The final form was
completed following feedback on layout, question formulation and overall
design. Completion of the survey required approximately 35 minutes. The
steering committee approved the final version of the survey. Data collection
took place during in spring 2009, avoiding exam periods and holidays.
An invitation email with introductory information on the survey was sent to
randomly selected undergraduate students. A link to the survey webpage was
provided in the email. A reminder was sent after 10 days and again three
weeks following the initial mass email. We were permitted to make
announcements before class and used posters and flyers to raise awareness
of the survey on the campus.
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On clicking the email link, the respondent was taken to the survey welcome
page, giving information on the SLS and contact information for the
researchers. Students were informed that by clicking to go to the next page
the survey would begin, and that they could discontinue at any time. The
participants were given the option to email a named researcher to enter the
draw. This method ensured we did not link the person to individual survey
responses. The data were downloaded and organised into a data set using
the SPSS 18 package for statistical analysis. Descriptive information was
reviewed during data cleaning and decisions made about missing entries in
the survey, resulting in a final sample of 841 participants. A targeted
statistical analysis of the data followed an initial analysis of trends, using
descriptive methods and inferential statistical tests. We used the chi-square
test, parametric correlations, t-test for independent samples and linear
regression inferential tests.
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4. RESULTS
4.1. DEMOGRAPHICS
The NUI Galway Student Lifestyle Survey returned a sample of 841 full-time
undergraduate students. Table 1 shows the demographic characteristics of
the sample, across year of study, College, and accommodation type. The
students were mostly female and predominantly aged under 21 (females:
59%, males: 41%).
Table 1: Presentation of survey respondent demographics expressed in
percentages, by gender
No of respondents
Gender
Age category
% aged under 21 years
21-24 years
25 +
Year in college
1st year
2nd year
rd
3 year plus
College of study
Arts, Social Sciences and Celtic Studies
Business, Public Policy and Law
Engineering and Informatics
Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Science
Relationship status
Married
In a relationship
Single
Accommodation type
Lodgings
Parents / guardians
College residence
Rented house
Living with partner and/or children
Nationality
Irish national
Non-Irish national
Males
N=341
%
40.5
Females
N=500
%
59.5
Total
N=841
%
80.1
11.1
8.8
79.0
13.4
7.6
79.4
12.5
8.1
32.4
38.7
28.9
34.5
38.9
26.6
33.7
38.8
27.5
22.8
19.3
25.5
6.5
25.8
38.9
17.2
4.3
18.6
21.1
32.4
18.1
12.9
13.6
23.0
2.6
34.6
62.8
1.4
42.9
55.7
1.9
39.5
58.6
3.5
24.4
17.1
52.1
2.9
3.6
18.9
22.1
52.0
3.4
3.6
21.2
20.0
52.0
3.2
95.0
5.0
93.9
6.1
94.4
5.6
4.2. LIVING CONDITIONS – INCOME, EXPENDITURE, TIME
ALLOCATION
This section explores the demographic characteristics of the students in more
detail, focusing on finances and how students reported using their time.
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4.2.1. Income
Family was the predominant source of income, with 75% of the students
receiving this support, followed by paid employment (42%). Over one quarter
(28%) received a local authority or State grant. Much smaller percentages of
students (6-7%) reported income from a fellowship or scholarship, social
welfare payments or bank loans. There were variations in the amount
typically received in each income category. Although a small proportion
received social welfare, the average amount of €620 per person in receipt of this
income was larger than the amount typically received from the family (€382) or
employment (€354). A broadly consistent pattern was reported across year of
study, although the proportion of students working reached a peak in Year 2.
Male students in employment reported receiving higher income from this
source than their female counterparts (€382 compared with €336).
Table 2: Sources of monthly incomea and mean income from each source in
Euro, by gender
Students with
this income
source (N, %)
630 (75%)
357 (42%)
238 (28%)
Malesb
Femalesb
Family
€374
€386
Employment
382
336
Local Authority/State
Grants
330
343
Fellowships/Scholarships
55 (7%)
457
299
Social Welfare
51 (6%)
659
589
Bank Loans
50 (6%)
256
298
a only for students with this source of income
b 5% trimmed mean for just those who have this source of income
Totalb
€382
354
338
359
620
282
4.2.2. Expenditure
Those students not living at home reported accommodation as their largest
single expense. Seventy-two per cent reported expenditure on
accommodation, with males and females reporting paying similar amounts
(€343). Some expenditure categories were nearly ubiquitous. Nearly all
reported expenditure on food (97%) and phone (92%). Among those who
reported a particular expenditure category, an average of €135 was spent on
food, compared with €89 for alcohol, €62 for transport, €62 for tobacco, and €51 on
regular bills such as electricity.
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Table 3: Mean monthly expenditurea in Euros, by gender
Students with
Malesb
this expense
(N, %)
Food
812 (97%)
€147
Phone
777 (92%)
25
Clothing and toiletries
702 (83%)
31
Alcohol
679 (81%)
112
Transport
676 (80%)
58
Entertainment
649 (77%)
46
Accommodation
601 (72%)
342
Study materials
551 (66%)
23
Regular bills (ESB, etc.)
516 (61%)
50
Medical expenses
223 (27%)
25
Tobacco
139 (17%)
60
Grinds
29 (3%)
34
a only for students with this source of expense
b 5% trimmed mean for just those who have this expense
Femalesb
€128
26
46
76
64
41
344
27
51
18
63
55
Totalb
€135
26
41
89
62
43
343
25
51
20
62
46
4.2.3. Time allocation and academic performance
The students reported an average of 17.3 hours spent in the classroom
during a typical week during the semester (Table 4). This compared with an
average of 10.6 hours reported for personal study (i.e., academic activities
outside class). Those with part-time jobs reported working 12.7 hours per
week on average.
Table 4: Mean number of hours allocated per week to academic and paid
work, by gender
Male
17.5
9.7
12.7
Classes/tutorials
Personal study (not exam time)
Paid employment (among those working)
Female Total
17.1
17.3
11.1
10.6
12.6
12.7
Table 5 reports on extracurricular activities. Taking part in sports was the
most prevalent type reported. Nearly half of the sample reported this activity.
When time spent playing sports was averaged, men allocated significantly
more time playing sports than women did. One in eight (13.3%) students
reported volunteering, compared with 24.4% who considered themselves
active in society activities and a similar proportion (25.4%) involved in sports
clubs. Taken together, 43.8% were active in one or more form of organised
extracurricular involvement (i.e., sports clubs, societies, volunteering). Spread
across the entire group, the mean number of hours spent playing sports was
2.5 hours per week, compared with 1.1 hours for sports clubs, 0.9 hours for
societies, and 0.4 hours for volunteering.
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Table 5: Mean number of hours allocated per week to extracurricular
activities, by gender
Male
Female
Sports
3.7
Sports clubs
1.5
University societies
0.9
Volunteering
0.4
*Significant between gender (p<.05)
**Significant between gender (p<.01)
1.7
0.7
0.8
0.4
Total
2.5**
1.1**
0.9
0.4
% Reporting
this activity
46.4
24.4
25.4
13.3
Of the total sample, 767 students reported on academic performance in the
past year ("thinking about your previous year, what was your average %
mark? For first years, what was your semester one mark?"). Table 6 displays
percentages of students in different grade categories, organised by gender.
Females reported a slightly higher mark on average, but this difference was
not statistically different.
Table 6: Percentage of students in each category of academic marks, by
gender
49% or less
50-59%
60-64%
65-69%
70-80%
80%+
Males
17.2
28.6
19.8
18.5
12.3
3.6
Females
14.6
26.4
23.8
16.6
16.6
2.2
Total
15.7
27.3
22.2
17.3
14.8
2.7
4.3. GENERAL HEALTH, MENTAL HEALTH, STRESS AND WELL-BEING
4.3.1. General Health
Students were invited to rate their general health using a one-item measure
with five options, from 'poor' to 'excellent' (Figure 1). Overall, 57% perceived
their general health to be excellent or very good, a further 34.5% perceived it
as good and 8.6% responded with 'fair' or 'poor'. Twice as many men (22%)
as women (10%) reported excellent health, a gender difference reflected in
responses to other measures of physical vitality reported below.
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Figure 1: General health by gender
General Health (One-Item Measure)
50
45
40
35
Percentage
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Poor
Fair
Good
Very good
Excellent
Genral Health
Males
Females
4.3.2. Sleep and Nutrition
About 22.5% of students got less than seven hours sleep on week nights,
with 6% reporting less than six hours per night. More commonly, students
described having seven (38.8%) or eight hours (32.6%) sleep per night
during the week. There was a tendency to catch up on sleep at the weekend,
with 40.7% reporting getting nine hours or more a night.
Students reported on the typical number of fruit and vegetables consumed
each day. Nearly one-fifth (19.4%) reported consuming less than the
recommended five portions or more per day. A slightly larger proportion of
students (23.6%) reported consuming five portions only. This represents over
40% of the sample who consumed less than or just about the minimum
advised number of portions.
4.3.3. Mental Health
Almost two-thirds of students (65.8%) reported their mental health as "very
good" or "excellent" on a one-item, five-point measure ("How would you rate
your own mental health?". This is somewhat higher than the percentage who
reported comparable levels of physical health (57%). Approximately 11% of
the sample rated their mental health as fair or poor (Figure 2). There was a
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significant gender difference in mental health self-ratings, reflected in the
proportions reporting excellent mental health by (males: 31%, females:
19%).
Figure 2: Self-rated mental health by gender
Mental Health (One-Item Measure)
50
45
40
35
Percentage
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Poor
Fair
Good
Very good
Excellent
Self-Reported Mental Health
Males
Females
4.3.4. Stress Perceptions
The students were asked how often they were stressed, in relation to 12
different sources of stress that had been identified in the CLAN survey of Irish
third level institutions (Hope et al., 2005). The 12 items are scored on a fourpoint scale ('never' to 'very often' stressed). Higher scores indicate higher
frequency of self-reported stress. Item responses had acceptable internal
reliability (Cronbach‟s α: 0.80, 95% CI =.78-.82). Responses can be assessed
individually by item or as a total stress score. Males reported a significantly
lower total score than females on the stress perceptions measure (mean
score of 24.0, SD: 5.9, compared with 25.7, SD: 5.3).
The most commonly reported sources of feeling 'often' or 'very often' stressed
were exams, subject-specific demands, studies in general, and financial
problems. Table 7 illustrates the responses in terms of these more extreme
response options on the four-point scale.
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Table 7: Percentage reporting feeling 'often' or 'very often' stressed, by item
and gender.
Males
Females
Exams
Subject-specific demands
Studies in general
65.4
50.5
54.0
78.6
67.2
64.6
73.2**
60.4**
60.3**
Financial situation
Family situation
Living situation
41.9
16.7
18.8
50.4
22.4
25.8
47.0**
20.1*
23.0
Relationships
21.7
Competition at college
16.7
Anonymity at college
15.8
Circle of friends
13.5
Illness
10.8
Sexuality
5.3
* χ2, significant between gender (p<.05)
** χ2, significant between gender (p<.01)
20.4
26.2
16.8
17.8
11.8
3.2
20.9
22.4**
16.4
16.0*
11.4
4.0
College Studies
Living Conditions
Personal & Interpersonal
Total
Mean scores for the stress items ranged from 3.0 (SD: 0.8) out of 4.0, for the
item on exams, to 1.3 for the item on sexuality as a stressor (SD: 0.6). The
items related to university courses were reported as the most common
sources of stress, followed by living conditions, and personal or interpersonal
stressors. Gender differences in mean scores were particularly strong in
respect of college studies, finances and competition at college.
4.3.5. Physical and Mental Well-Being
Two multi-item measures of health and well-being are reported on here.
These are sub-scales of the SF-36 assessment tool. The SF-36 is used
extensively internationally and across population groups. The two scales are
the energy and vitality index (EVI) (Cronbach‟s α: 0.82, 95% CI = 0.80-0.84)
and the mental health index (MHI-5) (Cronbach‟s α: 0.84, 95% CI = 0.820.86).
Table 8 describes the SF-36 items individually, highlighting scores on the sixpoint scale by gender. Mean scores have been reversed where appropriate
(e.g., 'worn out') so that in all cases, higher scores indicate positive
responses. Females reported lower scores on physical well-being items for
energy and tiredness. Significant differences were noted on three of the five
mental health well-being items. Males reported higher levels of mood (i.e.,
less 'down') and a greater sense of calm. Scores on individual items can be
converted into a 0-100 score for each scale, with significant gender
differences noted in total scores as well as well as in individual item scores.
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Table 8: SF-36 energy and vitality and mental health scores by gender
Energy and Vitality (EVI)
Males
Females
Total
Full of life
Energy
Worn outa
Tireda
4.1
3.9
4.1
3.7
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.3)
(1.2)
3.9
3.6
3.9
3.3
(1.1)
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.2)
4.0
3.7
4.0
3.5
(1.1)
(1.2)**
(1.2)*
(1.2)**
Nervousa
Down in the dumpsa
Calm and peaceful
Downhearted and bluea
Happy
4.5
5.1
3.9
4.6
4.4
(1.3)
(1.2)
(1.1)
(1.2)
(1.1)
4.4
4.8
3.6
4.4
4.3
(1.3)
(1.2)
(1.1)
(1.1)
(1.1)
4.5
4.9
3.7
4.5
4.3
(1.3)
(1.2)**
(1.1)**
(1.8)**
(1.1)
Mental Health (MHI-5)
Total Scale Scores
EVI Score (0-100) 59.3 (19.3)
53.6 (19.1) 55.9 (19.4)**
MHI-5 Score (0-100) 70.1 (18.7)
65.7 (18.0) 67.5 (18.4)**
*Significant between gender (p<.004)
**Significant between gender (p<.001)
a
Item cores reversed, higher numbers indicate more positive scores for all items
In common with the findings of the SLÁN study of a representative sample of
Irish adults, male students had higher scores than female students on both
SF-36 scales. However, reported energy / vitality and mental health were
relatively low compared with the recent SLÁN population survey and
international studies (e.g., Morgan et al., 2008) (Table 9). Mean scores by
male students on the physical vitality scale lagged 13 points below the
population average in the SLÁN survey on the 0-100 scale, and 12 points
lower on the mental health scale. Female survey respondents were 15 points
below the female population norm on the physical vitality scale, and 15 points
lower on the mental health scale.
Table 9: Mean SF-36 scores on the energy and vitality / mental health scales
for SLS and SLÁN national surveys, by gender
Males
Females
Total
Energy and Vitality (EVI)
Mental Health (MHI-5)
59.3 (19)
70.1 (19)
53.6 (19)
65.7 (18)
55.9 (19)**
67.5 (18)**
Energy and Vitality (EVI)
Mental Health (MHI-5)
*Significant between gender (p<.005)
**Significant between gender (p<.001)
72.6 (19)
82.0 (16)
68.3 (19)
80.3 (16)
71.0 (19)**
82.0 (16)**
SLS
SLAN national survey
Relatively low SF-36 scores have been noted in previous research with UK
student populations (Stewart-Brown et al., 2000). The 1,200 students
surveyed in Stewart-Brown et al.'s study of three UK higher education
institutions reported relatively low scores on the vitality and mental health SF36 sub-scales. The mean vitality score for these students was 53.0, compared
with the UK national population norm for 18-35 year olds of 61.6. The
equivalent mean mental health sub-scale score for UK students was 65.6,
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compared with the 18-35 year old norm of 72.3. Female students reported
lower scores, similar to the pattern identified in the responses to the SLS.
HIGHLIGHT: NUI Galway Students With a Disability
This study was carried out in 2012 by David Murray for a Higher Diploma in
Psychology research dissertation, in collaboration with the NUIG Disability
Support Service (DSS). Seventy-six students registered with the DSS were
surveyed for the study. The survey included the items on perceived stressors
and student engagement reported on in the SLS. This approach illustrates the
utility of using a similar set of indicators among particular sub-groups of the
student population in order to make comparisons with the rest of the
university community.






Students with a disability were more likely to report feeling
often or very often stressed by particular stressors, compared with
the SLS group. (73% by their studies in general, SLS: 60.3%; 85% by
subject-specific demands, SLS: 60.4%; 47% by competition at college,
SLS 22.4%; 79% by exams SLS: 73%; and 38% by illness, SLS:
11.4%).
Students with a disability were more likely to report that NUI
Galway emphasises spending time on academic work „quite a
bit‟ or „very much‟ (79%, SLS: 71.7%)
Students with a disability were less likely to report that NUI
Galway emphasises the support to succeed academically „quite
a bit‟ or „very much‟ (52.5%, SLS: 62.5%)
Students with a disability were more likely to report that NUI
Galway emphasises helping students to cope with nonacademic responsibilities quite a bit or very much (36.6%, SLS:
34.4%)
Students with a disability were less likely to report an
emphasis by NUI Galway on social thriving (39.4%, SLS: 51.5%)
Students with a disability were less likely to report that NUI
Galway emphasises attending academic events and activities
(41.4%, SLS: 61.2%)
This survey also asked about perceptions of the disability support. A high level
of satisfaction with disability support services (including assistive technology
services) was reported. However, the items on stressors and student
engagement indicate that NUI Galway students with a disability may perceive
more challenges to having a successful university experience, compared with
others.
16
4.6. SEXUAL HEALTH
Almost six out of ten of all students (59%) reported being sexually active in
the last month (males: 64%; females: 55%). When asked whether a condom
had been used on the last occasion of having sex, 68% said yes, 20% said
no, and the remaining 12% chose the „not applicable‟ option. The most
common reasons reported for not using condoms were being in a
monogamous relationship (13.8% of the sample), impaired judgement due to
alcohol or drugs (7.9%), and loss of sensation (6.9%, with more males
reporting this item, 12.1% males to 3.4% females). A quarter of students or
their partners had used emergency contraception at least once. There was a
significant difference in reporting by gender (males: 16%, females: 32%),
implying that many males were unaware of their sexual partners' use of
emergency contraception.
4.7. SUBSTANCE USE – TOBACCO AND DRUGS
One of the aims of the Student Lifestyle Survey was to assess how students
were using alcohol, tobacco, and drugs such as cannabis, Ecstasy and
cocaine. Particular attention is paid to depicting alcohol consumption patterns,
following the description of self-reported use of tobacco and illicit drugs.
4.7.1. Tobacco
Nearly one in four students (23%) reported being current smokers, with
males significantly more likely to report this status (males: 25%; females:
21%, p = .04). Students classified as current smokers were those who
reported smoking 'regularly' or 'occasionally (usually less than once a day)'.
Some 65% of students had smoked at least 100 cigarettes in their lives, with
significantly more females reporting this (males: 60%; females: 69%).
4.7.2. Illegal Drugs - Cannabis
Cannabis was by far the most common illegal drug reported by students. Fifty
per-cent indicated they had taken cannabis at least once in their life (females:
47%; males: 56%). Almost a fifth (18%) had taken the drug more than 20
times, with a significant gender difference (males: 25%, females: 12%). Onethird of participants (34%) reported taking cannabis at least once in the past
twelve months. There was a gender difference in reported cannabis use in the
past year, with 41.3% of males and 29.2% of females indicating they had
taken the drug (see Table 10 below). Of those who reported using cannabis
in the past year, 60.4% used it three or more times, making it the illegal drug
with the most frequent overall usage. Fourteen per-cent of the sample
reported taking the drug in the past 30 days, while 5% of males and 2% of
females using it ten or more times in the past 30 days.
Some 24% (n=207) of students responded to all five questions on the
Severity of Dependence Scale used to assess cannabis use (Cronbach‟s α: .84,
95% CI = 0.80-0.87; Martin et al., 2006). About 7% of these students
(males: 10%, females 4%) were above the cut-off score of 3 that is indicative
17
of dependence. For the purposes of the analysis, we identified relatively
frequent cannabis users as students who reported its use six times or more in
the past 12 months and who completed the cannabis dependence scale.
Considering these students only, 14% „sometimes‟ or „often‟ thought their
cannabis use out of control, 3% indicated it to be 'quite difficult' or
'impossible' to stop using the drug, 5% reported feeling anxious or nervous at
the prospect of missing a smoke, and 7.6% reported wishing they could stop.
No significant gender differences were noted on responses to the cannabis
dependence scale.
4.7.3. Illegal Drugs Besides Cannabis
Students were asked about use of other illegal drugs in the last 12 months.
Ecstasy was the second most commonly used drug after cannabis, albeit with
a much lower prevalence (ecstasy: 9%; cannabis: 34%). The next most
common drugs reported were cocaine (7%), salvia (6%) and magic
mushrooms (5%) (Table 10).
Table 10: Illegal drug use in past 12 months, by gender and frequency of use
Males
Females
Cannabis
41.3
Ecstasy (E, XTC)
12.9
Cocaine (Coke, Crack)
8.9
Salvia, BZP
10.9
Magic Mushrooms (Mushies,
peyote)
8.4
Amphetamine (Speed, Whizz,
uppers)
4.5
LSD (Acid, Trips)
3.9
Tranquillisers/sedatives
2.1
Stimulants (Ritalin) without
prescription
2.4
Solvents (Gas, Glue)
1.2
Heroin (Smack, Skag)
0.6
a
vs. „once or twice‟ among users of the drug
*Significant between gender (p<.05)
**Significant between gender (p<.01)
Total
29.2
5.9
5.1
2.7
34.1**
8.7**
6.7
6.0**
% users
taking drug
3+ times in
past year
60.4
47.2
21.8
32.7
2.3
4.8**
12.8
3.1
1.2
2.1
3.7
2.3*
2.1
13.3
15.8
17.6
0.6
1.0
0.4
1.3
1.1
0.5
18.2
22.2
25.0
With the exception of cannabis, the frequency of drug use was usually
reported as „once or twice‟ in the past twelve months. By comparison, 60% of
cannabis users reported using it „three or more times‟. Ecstasy was next most
frequently used drug, with nearly half of users (47%) in the past year
reporting using it three times or more. There were some gender differences
besides those already reported on cannabis use. Males were also more likely
to report using Ecstasy, Salvia / BZP, magic mushrooms, and LSD, although
the prevalence of use of these drugs was relatively low.
18
4.8. ALCOHOL
4.8.1. Drinking Habits: Frequency, Quantity and Beverage Type
About 73% of students had consumed alcohol during the last week and 91%
in the last month. Some 6% were non-drinkers, reporting that they never had
alcohol beyond sips and tastes (5%) or did not have a drink in the last twelve
months (<1%). Although non-Irish nationals were a relatively small
proportion of the participant group (5.6%), they represented 28% of the nondrinker group.
An average of 14 standard drinks were consumed per week, with males
reporting an average of 17 standard drinks and females an average of 12
standard drinks. One-third of men reported drinking more than the
recommended limit of 21 standard drinks per week, compared with 39% of
women drinking more than their recommended limit of 14 standard drinks.
The students were asked about their consumption of several types of drink,
allowing us to estimate the breakdown of drinking by beverage. The average
of 17 standard drinks consumed by males works out to 11 standard drinks in
beer / cider, one glass of wine, and five measures of spirits. The equivalent
figures for females are three standard drinks in beer / cider, three glasses of
wine, and six measures of spirits. Thus, spirits represent half of the alcohol
use reported by women compared with less than a third of the alcohol
reported by men.
Students were asked how often during the last 12 months they consumed (a)
beer/cider, (b) wine, and (c) spirits, from „every day‟ to „never‟. Less than 4%
drank any specific drink 4-5 days a week or more. Beer/cider consumption
once a week was reported by 51%, compared with 25% for drinking wine,
and 51% for spirits. Men were nearly twice as likely to drink beer as women
(males: 69.4%; females: 35.5%) at least once a week. This was a significant
difference, complemented by the greater likelihood of females reporting
drinking wine at least once a week (males: 18.8%; females: 29.1%). There
was no gender difference in likelihood of drinking spirits at least once a week
(males: 46.8%; females: 53.8%).
Binge drinking is defined in this report as drinking at least 75 grams of pure
alcohol on a given occasion (i.e., at least four pints of beer or equivalent).
Just under fifty per-cent (49.9%) were categorised as high frequency or
regular binge drinkers, defined here as reporting binge drinking once a week
or more (Table 11).
19
Table 11: Binge drinking frequency, by percentage and gender
Four times per week or more
Two-three times per week
Once a week
Once a month to once a week
Once or twice a year
Never / don't know a
ai
Includes non-drinkers
Males
3.3
29.3
29.0
20.1
7.0
11.3
Females
1.4
15.6
25.2
32.8
12.0
13.0
Total
2.2
21.2
26.6
27.7
10.0
12.3
Taking just those students who drink, more than half (53%) reported binge
drinking at least once a week (Figure 3). Men (66%) were significantly more
likely than women (44%) to report regular binge drinking at this frequency.
Figure 3: Frequency of binge drinking by gender in the last 12 months,
among those who reported drinking alcohol.
Binge Drinking Frequency
35
30
Percentage
25
20
15
10
5
0
Never / Rarely
1 Month
2-3 Month
1 Week
2-3 Week
4+ Week
Frequency of Binge Drinking
Males
Females
4.8.2 Alcohol-Related Problems and Harms
Responses to the four-item RAPS scale (Rapid Alcohol Problems Screen)
showed that 52% of drinkers reported having felt guilt or remorse after
drinking, 28% failed to do things because of drinking, 60% had experienced
not remembering things they said or did, and 3% reported having a drink in
the morning (Table 12). Responding positively to any one of these items is an
indicator of an alcohol problem. Although men reported drinking more than
women, gender differences in responses to RAPS items were not marked.
20
Table 12: Percentage reporting experience of alcohol problems, by gender
Guilt or remorse after drinking
Not remember things you said or did
Failed to do things because of drinking
Drink in the morning
Total RAPS score (mean/SD)
*Significant between gender (p<.05)
**Significant between gender (p<.01)
Males
52.1
63.2
28.9
5.4
1.5 (1.1)
Females
52.5
57.8
27.4
1.7
1.4 (1.1)
Total
52.3
59.9
28.0
3.2**
1.4 (1.1)
The RAPS scale represents harmful outcomes of drinking in the form of
'alcohol problems'. The survey also included a further list of harms and risks.
These refer to harmful consequences or exposure to risk, as a result of their
own drinking or that of others (Table 13). Over four-fifths (84%) of students
who drank alcohol reported at least one of these (males: 88%; females:
82%). There was a particularly high prevalence of regret after drinking
(59%), missing school / work days (54%), and feeling the effects while at
work / college (50%). There were gender differences such as males being
more than twice as likely to report having gotten into a fight. As with most of
the findings, there were relatively few differences across year in college.
Table 13: Percentage reporting experiencing harms or risks due to one‟s own
drinking, by gender
Males
Females
Felt effects of alcohol while at
class/work
Missed class/work days
Harmed studies/work
50.6
49.3
49.8
59.5
42.7
50.5
39.2
54.1**
40.6
Regretted things said or done
Got into fight
Been in accident
58.5
17.4
16.1
58.9
9.3
12.0
58.8
12.5**
13.7
Money problems
Unintentional sex
Unprotected sex
22.5
15.2
11.4
17.9
12.0
8.2
19.7
13.3
9.5
Feel should cut down
Harmed health
34.8
34.5
30.1
26.9
32.0
30.0*
19.0
14.6
4.0 (3.0)
9.3
12.2
3.4 (2.8)
Academic performance
Acute harms
Personal harms
Chronic harms
Social harms
Harmed friendships
Harmed relationship / home-life
Mean number of harms (SD)
*Significant between gender (p<.05)
**Significant between gender (p<.01)
Total
13.1**
13.1
3.6 (2.9)**
The survey also included a set of items on harms and risks experienced as a
result of other people's drinking. Two-thirds of students who drank reported
experiencing at least one harm or risk because of someone else's drinking
21
(Table 14). The harm cited most often by both genders was verbal abuse
(males: 38%; females: 32%). Males were more likely to experience acute and
personal harms, whereas females reported arguments and relationship
problems more often.
Table 14: Percentage reporting experience of risks or harms due to other's
drinking, by gender
Males
Females
Was in a motor car accident
Was passenger with drunk driver
Been hit or assaulted
Been sexually assaulted
0.9
14.7
17.6
0.9
1.0
6.6
7.8
1.0
1.0
9.9**
11.8**
1.0
Had financial trouble
Been verbally abused
Had property vandalised
4.7
38.4
29.3
5.6
31.6
17.8
5.2
34.4*
22.5**
Had family/relationship difficulties
Had arguments with family/friends
about drinking
Mean number of harms (SD)
*Significant between gender (p<.05)
**Significant between gender (p<.01)
12.3
15.8
17.8
21.8
15.6*
19.4*
1.4 (1.4)
1.1 (1.3)
Acute harm
Personal Harm
Social Harm
Total
1.2 (1.4)**
4.9. STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
4.9.1. Self-determination of NUI Galway Students
Self-determination corresponds to the personal growth that might be
expected to arise as a part of the university experience. The Basic Needs
Satisfaction scale was used to assess the self-determination of students
(Gagne, 2003). Higher self-determination scores are indicative of positive
well-being. For instance, scores are negatively correlated with anxiety,
worrisome thinking, generalised anxiety, and feelings of social inadequacy
(Johnston & Finney, 2010). The scale includes three factors (Table 15):
 Personal autonomy: Items that refer to freedom and inner direction.
 Competence: Items on mastery, control over behaviour and task
performance.
 Relatedness: Need for affiliation with other people.
High scores on the three factors assessed in the self-determination measure
indicate that psychological needs are perceived as being met. The university
experience should ideally contribute to all three factors, through growth of
knowledge and job skills, confidence in the ability to achieve valued goals,
and feeling connected to other people. Each factor showed good levels of
internal reliability. The total scale alpha was 0.88 (95% CI = 0.87-0.89), with
the alpha on each of the three factors ranging from autonomy (0.70, 95% CI
= 0.67-0.73) to competence (alpha: 0.71, 95% CI = 0.68-0.74), and
22
relatedness (0.84, 95% CI = 0.83-0.86). Each factor had different number of
items. Examination of mean item scores showed that satisfaction of the
relatedness need was highest (eight items, mean score: 5.6 on seven-point
scale). The mean item score for autonomy was next (seven items, mean item
score 4.9 out of 7.0), followed by mean scores on competence items (six
items, 4.5 out of 7.0).
There were no gender differences in responses to the self-determination
measure. The scores recorded are slightly lower than those found in two
recent surveys of approximately 4,000 students at a US university (Johnston
& Finney, 2010). Autonomy scores for NUI Galway students were marginally
lower (mean score of 34.8) than those reported in the two student surveys
Johnston and Finney conducted (mean scores: 35.6, 35.8). Competence
scores were lower in the NUI Galway sample (mean score: 27.5; US survey
groups: 32.0, 31.0), as were relatedness scores (NUI Galway: 44.6; US
survey groups: 48.0, 47.5).
Table 15: Mean score for each self-determination factor, by gender
Autonomy
Competence
Relatedness
Total score
Male
34.9 (6.3)
27.3 (5.7)
44.5 (7.7)
106.7 (16.9)
Female
34.8 (6.4)
27.7 (6.1)
44.7 (7.5)
107.2 (17.0)
Total
34.8 (6.4)
27.5 (5.9)
44.6 (7.8)
106.9 (16.9)
4.9.2. Expectations of Higher Education at NUI Galway
Students were asked about their motives and expectations for the university
experience as NUI Galway. This occurred using items taken from the
Shortened Experiences of Teaching and Learning Questionnaire. The items
were scored on a five-point scale ('very weakly/not at all' to 'very strongly').
Some 88% of students indicated they were 'fairly' or 'very strongly' motivated
to develop personally through the experience (Table 16). Nearly half (48%)
reported similar expectations for their sports and social life, and 11.2% fairly
or very strongly wondered why they ever came here. Women reported higher
levels of engagement in personal development, reflected in items on making a
difference in the world and becoming independent.
23
Table 16: Percentage reporting 'fairly' or 'very strongly' to student engagement
items, by engagement factor and gender
Focused on sports and social life
Hope to develop independence and confidence
Need qualification for good job
Wonder why I ever came here
Male
49.7
76.2
75.6
12.5
Hope to develop personally
Want to make a difference in the world
Want to study subject in depth
84.7
66.2
65.8
Intrinsic engagement sub-scale
a
Female
46.5
88.1
82.0
10.3
90.6
78.5
69.9
Total
47.7
83.2**
79.3
11.2
88.2
73.4**
68.2
Other three categories are „very weakly/not at all‟ „Rather weakly‟ and „Somewhat/not sure‟
*Significant between gender (p<.05)
**Significant between gender (p<.01)
4.9.3. Overall Experience at NUI Galway and Perceived Institutional
Emphasis
The NUI Galway student experience was assessed using one of the sections
validated in the US National Survey of Student Engagement (Kuh, 2001). The
section on the supportiveness of the campus environment comprises five
items scored on a four-point scale (Cronbach‟s alpha: .73, 95% CI = .70-.76).
Students were asked about the extent to which NUI Galway emphasizes
particular issues relevant to the student experience. Some 72% of students
reported that NUI Galway emphasizes academic work to students 'quite a bit'
or 'very much' (Table 17). Only 34% of students felt that the university
emphasized coping with non-academic responsibilities to the same extent.
There were some minor gender differences in ratings. More women rated
academic and on-campus participation as being emphasised quite a bit or
very much in the university. A single item was used to asses the quality of the
overall experience at NUI Galway. Almost 30% students described their
academic experience as excellent. Most found it to be good, while 16%
reported it as fair or poor (excellent: 29%; good: 55%; fair: 14%; poor: 2%).
Table 17: Percentage reporting 'quite a bit' or 'very much' in response to
items about 'what NUI Galway emphasises''
Spending time on academic work
Providing support for academic success
Helping cope with non-academic responsibilities
Supporting social thriving
Attending campus events and activities
a
Other categories are: „Some‟ and „Very little‟.
*Significant between gender (p<.05)
Male
69.9
63.5
33.4
54.0
57.1
Female
72.9
61.7
35.1
49.8
64.1
Total
71.7*
62.5
34.4
51.5
61.2*
4.9.4. Awareness and Use of Student Services
Students were asked about their awareness and use of services (Table 18).
The Sports Centre had the highest usage, with more than half reporting using
it. Awareness of over 90% was reported for the Health Centre, with the
Health Promotion, Chaplaincy, Counselling and Careers advisory services also
24
achieving very high awareness. Gender differences in service awareness and
usage were noted, with males more likely to use the Sports Centre and
Disability service. Women were more likely to report using the Health Centre
and Counselling Service.
Table 18: Percentage reporting awareness and use of student facilities and
services, by gender
Awareness / Use
Not aware of it
Know of it, but haven't
Already used it
Health centre
Not aware of it
Know of it, but haven't
Already used it
Health promotion Not aware of it
Know of it, but haven't
Already used it
Chaplaincy
Not aware of it
Know of it, but haven't
Already used it
Disability support Not aware of it
Know of it, but haven't
Already used it
Counselling
Not aware of it
Know of it, but haven't
Already used it
Careers advisory Not aware of it
Know of it, but haven't
Already used it
*Significant between gender (p<.05)
**Significant between gender (p<.01)
Sports centre
used it
used it
used it
used it
used it
used it
used it
25
Males
1.2
37.7
61.1
9.1
47.0
43.9
23.9
63.9
12.2
13.2
75.2
11.6
28.0
66.5
5.5
12.6
80.0
7.4
13.1
66.5
20.4
Females Total
2.3
1.9**
54.1 47.4**
43.6 50.7**
4.4
6.3**
38.9 42.2**
56.7 51.5**
19.1 21.0
68.3 66.5
12.6 12.4
13.3 13.2
75.4 75.3
11.3 11.5
25.8 26.7*
72.3 69.9*
1.9
3.4*
6.3
8.8**
83.6 82.2**
10.1 9.0**
9.5
10.9
65.1 65.7
25.4 23.4
HIGHLIGHT: NUI Galway Students Who Volunteer
This research was carried out in 2012 by Marese O'Brien for a MSc in Health
Psychology research dissertation, and used several of the same measures
included in the Student Lifestyle Survey. Two surveys were carried out. One
was a follow-up survey with persistent volunteers, comprising 80 students
who had been volunteering in November 2010 and were still doing so in
Spring 2012. These students were now in 2nd / 3rd year or in postgraduate
study. The second survey was a cross-sectional survey of students engaged in
volunteering, both on- and off-campus. The demographic profile of this latter
group of 230 volunteers was more directly comparable to the SLS
respondents, with one-quarter in first year at college.
The surveys of volunteers indicated some important differences with the SLS
findings for the general undergraduate population.
 Volunteers were more likely to report very good or excellent
general health (69% of persistent volunteers, 71.6% of the larger
cross-section, and 57% of SLS respondents)
 Volunteers were less likely to have had a drink in the past
week (persistent volunteers 60.3%, compared with 68.4% of the
larger volunteer group, and 73% of the SLS respondents)
 Volunteers reported lower levels of binge drinking (20.6% of
persistent volunteers reported binge drinking once a week or more,
38.5% once a month to once a week; 35.2% of the larger group of
volunteers reported binge drinking once a week or more, 31.8% once
a month to once a week; compared with the equivalent SLS figures of
50% for binge drinking once a week or more, 27.7% once a month to
once a week)
 Volunteers reported fewer alcohol-related harms (44.6% of
persistent volunteers, 49.2% of larger volunteer group, and 58.8% of
SLS group reported experiencing regret following drinking; 20.3% of
persistent volunteers, 36% of larger volunteer group, and 40.6% of
SLS respondents reported that drinking had harmed their work or
studies; 14.9% of persistent volunteers, 33.1% of larger volunteer
group, and 30% of SLS respondents reported that alcohol had harmed
their health; 28.4% of persistent volunteers, 39.8% of larger volunteer
group, and 49.8% of SLS respondents reported having felt the effects
of alcohol while at work or in class)
26
5.1. PROFILE OF STUDENTS WITH HIGH RISK DRINKING PATTERNS
5.1.1. Analysis of Respondents by Drinking Pattern
Binge drinking has been associated with higher rates of harmful or risky
consequences of alcohol use in previous research. In the SLS survey, binge
drinking is defined as consumption of 75 grams or more of alcohol on a single
occasion (eight or more standard drinks, e.g., four pints of beer). Statistical
analyses were used to assess high frequency binge drinkers relative to other
drinkers. Non-drinkers (6%) are also included in several analyses where
applicable. Students were classified as high frequency or regular binge
drinkers if they reported binge drinking once a week or more. Regular binge
drinkers reported consuming an average of 19.3 standard drinks per week,
compared with 11.5 drinks among other drinkers.
5.1.2. Weekly time allocation and drinker status
Table 19 compares high frequency binge drinkers, other drinkers and nondrinkers in terms of weekly time allocation. Significant differences were found
in time spent studying and in class. Regular binge drinkers spent significantly
less time studying than others. At 24.9 hours, the length of the academic
week was significantly shorter for regular binge drinkers compared with other
drinkers (30.6 hours).
Table 19: Mean number of hours allocated to academic and paid work per
week, by drinking pattern
Regular
binge
drinkers
Classes/tutorials
16.5
Personal study (not exam time)
8.4
Paid work (just those working)
13.2
*Significant between drinking pattern (p<.05)
**Significant between drinking pattern (p<.01)
Other
drinkers
Nondrinkers
Total
17.7
12.9
12.2
20.1
13.0
12.9
17.3**
10.6**
12.7
Time allocation to extracurricular activities was considered in relation to binge
drinker status (Table 20). Sports participation was represented through time
spent playing sport and time involved in sports clubs. The other
extracurricular activities were volunteer work and being active in university
societies. Participation in sports accounted for more time than the other three
categories combined. Spread across participants, extracurricular activities
accounted for a rather low weekly time allocation. On average, students
contributed less than 30 minutes per week to volunteering. Non-drinkers
reported spending more time in society activities compared with the two other
groups.
27
Table 20: Mean number of hours allocated to extracurricular activities per
week, by drinking pattern
Regular
Other
binge
drinkers
drinkers
Playing sports
2.7
2.3
Sports clubs
1.4
0.9
Societies
0.7
0.9
Volunteering
0.3
0.4
*Significant between drinking pattern (p<.05)
**Significant between drinking pattern (p<.01)
Nondrinkers
2.9
1.0
1.9
0.7
Total
2.5
1.0
0.9**
0.4
5.1.3. Self-reported academic performance and drinker status
An assessment of self-reported academic performance in the last year by
drinking pattern showed significant results. Table 21 sets out the percentage
of students in each category of performance. Regular binge drinkers reported
a significantly lower mark compared with other drinkers. The same tendency
was seen when regular binge drinkers were compared with non-drinkers,
although this difference was not statistically significant. It should be borne in
mind that information on academic marks was provided by students rather
than standardised information from the university.
Table 21: Percentage of students reporting categories of academic
performance, by drinking pattern
59% or less
60%+
Regular
binge
drinkers
46.6
53.4
Other
drinkers
Nondrinkers
39.1
60.9
31.6
68.4
5.1.4. Risk taking and drinker status
Regular binge drinkers reported greater incidence of risk taking behaviours
(Table 22). They were twice as likely to be users of tobacco (32% vs 15%)
and cannabis (47% vs 25%). Although equally likely to use condoms, regular
female binge drinkers were significantly more likely to report using emergency
contraception (45% vs 30%). Nevertheless, regular binge drinkers reported
significantly higher ratings on the one-item measure of mental health. There
was a non-significant difference in physical health ratings.
28
Table 22: Percentage of students reporting risk-related behaviours and
mental / physical health, by drinking pattern
Regular
Other
Total
binge
drinkers
drinkers
Current smokers
32.1
15.0
22.8**
Cannabis use in past 12 months
46.9
24.0
34.1**
Sexually active
61.9
58.5
60.3
Condom usea
79.0
74.3
76.9
b
Emergency contraception
29.4
22.1
25.3**
One-item mental health ratingc
68.8
57.9
65.7**
One-item physical health ratingc
59.8
54.7
57.0
a
Only those who answered yes or no to „use of condom‟ when last had sex
b
Only woman, who answered yes or no to „use of condom‟ when last had sex
c
Percentage reporting 'very good' or 'excellent' in response to the item
*Significant difference (p<.05)
**Significant difference (p<.01)
5.1.5. Adverse consequences of alcohol use and drinker status
Significant differences were noted in the prevalence of alcohol-related
problems assessed by the RAPS scale, as a function of binge drinker status
(Table 23). For example, nearly three-quarters of regular binge drinkers
reported having experiences similar to a black out (not remembering what
you have said or done).
Table 23: Percentage of students reporting alcohol problems on the RAPS
items, by drinking pattern
Guilt or remorse after drinking
Not remember things you said or did
Failed to do things because of drinking
Drink in the morning
Mean RAPS score (SD)
*Significant between drinking pattern (p<.05)
**Significant between drinking pattern (p<.01)
Regular
binge
drinkers
61.2
74.1
37.2
5.0
1.8 (1.1)
Other
drinkers
41.9
43.6
17.5
1.1
1.0 (1.1)
Total
52.3**
60.0**
28.1**
3.2**
1.4 (1.1)**
Similarly, a higher prevalence of alcohol-related harms was reported among
regular binge drinkers. Compared with other drinkers, these students were
twice as likely to report having missed school / work (70% vs 36%) and
having studies or work harmed through drinking (53% vs 27%) (Table 24).
Money problems, fights and accidents were much more likely among regular
binge drinkers.
29
Table 24: Percentage of students reporting personal harms in past 12
months, by type of drinking
Regretted things said or done
Missed school/work days due to alcohol
Felt alcohol effects while at work/class
Harmed work/studies
Felt you should cut down drinking
Harmed health
Money problems
Been in accident
Got into fight
Unintended sex
Harmed friendship or social life
Harmed relationship / home-life
Unprotected sex
Mean number of harms reported (SD)
*Significant between drinking pattern (p<.05)
**Significant between drinking pattern (p<.01)
Regular
binge
drinkers
70.6
69.9
61.5
52.9
43.1
34.4
27.5
20.3
18.4
17.9
17.5
15.6
13.2
4.6 (2.8)
Other
drinkers
45.4**
36.2**
36.6**
26.9**
19.4**
24.9**
10.5**
5.8**
6.1**
8.0**
8.3**
10.5*
5.5**
2.4 (2.5)**
A similar pattern was evident in harms reported as a result of other people's
drinking, albeit with less pronounced differences between regular binge
drinkers and other drinkers (Table 25). Regular binge drinkers were more
likely to report having been verbally abused (40% vs 29%), physically
assaulted (15% vs 8%) or to have been a passenger with a drunk driver
(15% vs 5%).
Table 25: Percentage of students reporting harms due to other people's
drinking, by drinking pattern
Been verbally abused
Had property vandalised
Had arguments with family and friends
Been hit or assaulted
Been a passenger with drunk driver
Had family and relationship difficulties
Had financial trouble
Been in a motor car accident
Been sexually assaulted
Mean number of harms reported (SD)
*Significant between drinking pattern (p<.05)
**Significant between drinking pattern (p<.01)
Regular
binge
drinkers
40.2
28.5
20.8
15.1
15.3
14.6
6.0
1.0
1.0
1.4 (1.4)
Other
drinkers
29.1**
16.3**
18.8
7.8**
5.0**
17.7
4.7
0.8
1.1
1.0 (1.3)**
5.1.6. Vitality, mental health and drinker status
Several important differences were identified in SF-36 physical vitality and
mental health sub-scale scores as a function of drinker status (Table 26).
30
Non-drinkers had the highest overall SF-36 scores, indicative of relatively
good adjustment relative to drinkers, and reporting higher energy levels in
particular.
Regular binge drinkers reported better physical vitality and mental health than
other drinkers. This finding is consistent with responses to the one-item
mental health and general health measures. The finding appears counterintuitive, given that binge drinking is associated with harmful outcomes, but is
consistent with qualitative studies in which student drinkers describe
perceived benefits from binge drinking.
Each SF-36 item was scored on a six-point scale, from 'none of the time' to
'all of the time'. Table 26 shows mean item scores (maximum of 6.0). Scores
have been reversed where appropriate (e.g., 'worn out'), so the higher scores
in the table always reflect more positive responses. Regular binge drinkers
reported higher scores than other drinkers on feeling “full of life”, "calm and
peaceful" and "down in the dumps".
SF-36 sub-scale scores can be calculated on a 0-100 scale for comparability.
These scores are reported in Table 26. Of the three groups, non-drinkers
reported the highest physical vitality scores and second-highest scores on the
mental health sub-scale. Regular binge drinkers reported the second-highest
physical vitality scores and highest mental health levels. From this
perspective, 'other drinkers' emerged as the least well adjusted group.
Table 26: Mean scores on SF-36 energy / vitality and mental health items, by
drinking pattern
Regular
binge
drinkers
Other
drinkers
Nondrinkers
Full of life
Energy
Worn out
Tired
4.1
3.8
4.0
3.5
(1.1)
(1.2)
(1.3)
(1.2)
3.9
3.6
3.9
3.4
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.2)
4.2
4.3
4.1
3.6
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.2)
4.0
3.7
4.0
3.5
(1.1)*
(1.2)**
(1.2)
(1.2)
Nervous
Down in the dumps
Calm and peaceful
Downhearted and blue
Happy
4.6
5.0
3.8
4.5
4.4
(1.2)
(1.2)
(1.1)
(1.2)
(1.1)
4.4
4.8
3.6
4.5
4.2
(1.3)
(1.2)
(1.1)
(1.2)
(1.2)
4.4
4.7
3.9
4.3
4.5
(1.3)
(1.1)
(1.2)
(1.3)
(1.1)
4.5
4.9
3.7
4.5
4.3
(1.3)
(1.2)*
(1.1)**
(1.2)
(1.1)*
Energy and Vitality (EVI)
Mental Health (MHI-5)
Total Scores
EVI 57.0 (19.0)
MHI-5 69.0 (18.2)
*Significant between drinking pattern (p<.05)
**Significant between drinking pattern (p<.01)
31
54.0 (20.0)
65.7 (18.5)
Total
60.7 (18.0) 55.9 (19.4)*
67.4 (19.4) 67.4 (18.5)*
5.1.7. Self-determination, student engagement and drinker status
Further corroboration of the findings concerning alcohol use, vitality and
mental health were found in perceptions of stress. Regular binge drinkers had
a lower mean stress score of 24.58 (SD = 5.54), compared with other
drinkers (25.55, SD = 5.53, p=0.01). Responses to the basic needs
satisfaction measure of self-determination showed that regular binge drinkers
reported higher scores (Table 27). Differences between regular binge drinkers
and other drinkers on individual self-determination factors were not
significant, except for a marginal difference in social relatedness. Differences
in self-determination of drinkers and non-drinkers were significant. The latter
group reported lower scores on autonomy, relatedness and total selfdetermination, although not on perceptions of personal competence.
Table 27: Mean scores on self-determination factors, by type of drinker
Regular
Other
binge
drinkers
drinkers
Autonomy
35.4 (6.1)
34.6 (6.5)
Competence
27.6 (5.8)
27.5 (6.2)
Relatedness
45.3 (7.3)
44.3 (8.0)
Total score
108.4 (16.1) 106.4 (17.3)
*Significant between drinking pattern (p<.05)
**Significant between drinking pattern (p<.01)
Nondrinkers
Total
32.2 (6.7)
26.4 (5.7)
41.0 (9.5)
99.6 (19.6)
34.8 (6.4)**
27.5 (5.9)
44.6 (7.8)**
106.9 (16.9)**
Student engagement ratings indicated differences related to binge drinker
status, but in the reverse direction to those described in relation to vitality,
mental health and self-determination. Non-drinkers had significantly higher
engagement scores than regular binge drinkers (Table 28). Compared with
the other two groups, regular binge drinkers had rated the item on wanting to
“make a difference in the world" significantly lower. Non-drinkers had higher
scores on the item referring to wanting to “study subject in depth”. Regular
binge drinkers reported significantly lower scores in intrinsic engagement, but
significantly higher scores on the item referring to “sports and social life”.
32
Table 28: Mean scores on student engagement items and factors, by drinking
pattern
Regular
binge
drinkers
Focused on sports and social life 3.6 (1.0)
Hope to develop independence and 4.2 (0.9)
confidence
Need qualification for good job 4.2 (1.0)
Wonder why I ever came here 1.8 (1.1)
Intrinsic engagement sub-scale
Other
drinkers
Nondrinkers
3.1 (1.1)
4.2 (0.9)
3.2 (1.1) 3.4 (1.1)**
4.3 (0.7) 4.2 (0.9)
4.1 (1.0)
1.9 (1.1)
4.2 (0.9) 4.2 (1.0)
2.1 (1.4) 1.9 (1.2)
Hope to develop personally 4.3 (0.8) 4.4 (0.7) 4.5 (0.7)
Want to make a difference in the 4.0 (1.0) 4.1 (0.9) 4.3 (0.7)
world
Want to study subject in depth 3.8 (1.0) 4.0 (0.9) 4.1 (0.9)
Intrinsic total score 12.1 (2.1) 12.5 (2.0) 12.9 (1.7)
*Significant between drinking pattern (p<.05)
**Significant between drinking pattern (p<.01)
Total
4.4 (0.7)
4.1 (1.0)**
3.9 (1.0)**
12.3 (2.1)**
5.1.8. Perceptions of the university by drinker status
There were relatively minor differences by drinker status in perceptions of
NUI Galway. Table 29 gives the mean item scores on a four-point scale from
'very little' to 'very much'. On the whole, average ratings equate to a
perception that the university provided 'some' or 'quite a bit' of support. The
lowest evaluation of NUI Galway was in relation to helping students cope with
non-academic responsibilities. Regular binge drinkers evaluated the university
more positively than other drinkers on items referring to coping with nonacademic responsibilities and support for social thriving.
Table 29: Mean scores on 'NUI Galway emphasises' items, by drinking pattern
Regular
binge
drinkers
2.8 (0.8)
2.7 (0.9)
Spending time on academic work
Providing support for academic
success
Help coping with non-academic
2.3 (0.9)
responsibilities
Supporting social thriving
2.6 (0.9)
Attending campus events and
2.7 (0.9)
activities
Total Score
13.1 (3.1)
*Significant between drinking pattern (p<.05)
**Significant between drinking pattern (p<.01)
Other
drinkers
Nondrinkers
Total
2.9 (0.8)
2.7 (0.9)
2.8 (0.8) 2.8 (0.8)
3.0 (1.0) 2.7 (0.9)
2.1 (0.9)
2.3 (0.9) 2.2 (0.9)*
2.4 (0.9)
2.7(0.9)
2.6 (0.9) 2.5 (0.9)**
2.8 (0.8) 2.7 (0.9)
12.7 (3.1) 13.4 (3.1) 13.0 (3.1)
5.2. Gender, Binge Drinker Status and Year in College
This section highlights differences noted when we analysed categories such
as gender and binge drinker status together. Males were more likely to report
regular binge drinking (66% of male drinkers, 44% of female drinkers). Male
33
regular binge drinkers reported higher average alcohol consumption per week
(21.6 standard drinks), compared with an average of 14.1 drinks among other
males who drank. Female regular binge drinkers reported an average of 17
standard drinks per week, compared with 10.5 drinks on average among
other female drinkers.
5.2.1. Interactions between gender and binge drinker status
Table 30 presents some of the findings linked to binge drinking status and
gender. These help to tease apart the results reported earlier regarding
drinker status, mental health and vitality. Male regular binge drinkers spent
more on alcohol than their female equivalents. Well-being and mental health
differed with gender and alcohol use. Among males, vitality scores were
lowest among regular binge drinkers and highest among male non-drinkers.
Female vitality scores followed a different pattern. Women who were regular
binge drinkers and non-drinkers reported similar scores, with other drinkers
recording lower vitality scores. Different patterns were apparent in SF-36
mental health scores. Male mental health scores were consistent regardless of
drinking habits, while female scores were highest among regular binge
drinkers. Thus, the findings are more complex than simply stating that mental
health and vitality are higher among regular binge drinkers than other
drinkers.
Gender was also important in the association between regular binge drinking
and other risky behaviours. For example, male regular binge drinkers were
particularly likely to report using cannabis in the past year (55.7%). This is
higher than equivalent group of females who reported regular binge drinking
(37.7%), who were themselves more likely to report smoking cannabis than
females in the other drinker category (25.6%). Prevalence of reported use of
emergency contraception by oneself or a partner was far higher among
female students who were regular binge drinkers (40.3%). The prevalence of
reported emergency contraception use by male regular binge drinkers
(22.7%, in relation to their female partner), was comparable with the figure
reported by females in the other drinkers category (26.5%). On other factors,
such as smoking prevalence, weekly time allocations, and harms associated
with drinking, there was little evidence of interactions between gender and
binge drinking.
34
Table 30: Mean scores on selected indicators, by type of drinker and gender
Mean scores
Alcohol spend p/month (Euro)
Male
Female
SF-36 Vitality score (EVI)
Male
Female
SF-36 Mental health score (MHI-5) Male
Female
% Reporting particular behaviours
Cannabis use in past year
Male
Female
Smoker
Male
Female
Emergency contraception
Male
Female
Regular
binge
drinkers
Other
drinkers
Nondrinkers
138.0
95.2
57.9
56.0
70.0
68.0
49.9
48.9
61.3
50.8
69.8
64.2
0
0
64.4
57.5
71.0
63.7
55.7
37.7
31.7
32.4
22.7
40.3
20.0
25.6
17.7
13.9
10.1
26.5
0
4.3
4.0
0
10.5
0
5.2.2. Interactions with year in college
The analysis presented in Table 31 refers to year in college as a further
source of variation in the student experience at NUI Galway. The students
were classified according to whether they were in first year, second year or
third year+. Overall, year in college was not a significant factor in the survey
analysis. Several indicators are reported in Table 31, with the sub-group
reporting the highest mean score highlighted in bold. For instance, male
regular binge drinkers reported the highest average number of hours of paid
work per week in Year 1 and Year 3+. Female regular binge drinkers reported
the highest mean figure for Year 2.
Some differences can be identified by year in college. For example, male
regular binge drinkers in the latter stage of their academic programme
reported relatively low time in class per week. Males in the other drinker
category reported the opposite tendency. There was no difference by year in
standard drinks consumed per week by male regular binge drinkers. Further
patterns were apparent by year of college in reported use of cannabis in the
past 12 months. First year male regular binge drinkers reported highest
prevalence of cannabis use (57.8%), with the figure reduced in successive
years. Further monitoring research is required to assess developmental
changes in responses over time.
35
Table 31: Mean scores on selected indicators, by year in college, type of
drinking and gender
Male
regular
binge
drinkers
Hours paid work (p/week)
6.3
Year 1
Year 2
5.7
Year 3+
5.4
Hours personal study Year 1
7.9
Year 2
9.2
Year 3+
8.5
Hours in class
Year 1
17.3
Year 2
16.7
Year 3+
15.2
Standard drinks
Year 1
21.5
Year 2
22.0
Year 3+
21.4
SF-36 Vitality
Year 1
57.4
Year 2
58.0
Year 3+
58.4
SF-36 Mental health Year 1
67.8
Year 2
69.3
Year 3+
73.1
% Cannabis use in past year
57.8
Year 1
Year 2
52.9
Year 3+
54.7
Males
other
drinkers
Female
other
drinkers
3.2
Female
regular
binge
drinkers
6.0
4.3
2.8
11.5
14.4
8.9
16.4
19.5
19.1
14.6
13.5
14.4
58.7
60.8
64.4
69.6
67.2
73.4
28.0
5.9
5.2
9.0
8.8
6.5
16.9
15.3
17.8
16.8
17.2
17.0
56.5
55.5
56.1
67.8
66.8
69.7
34.8
4.7
4.2
11.7
15.4
12.2
17.8
17.5
17.0
11.3
9.6
11.0
51.0
49.1
52.3
64.8
63.8
64.0
27.2
20.0
14.3
40.1
38.0
22.6
28.4
4.8
5.3. Exploration of Academic Performance and Stress Scores
The Student Lifestyle Survey resulted in a large data set that can be explored
according to particular questions of interest. As reported in earlier sections, it
is useful to take into account issues such as gender, binge drinker status, and
year in college. In this section we present several analyses carried out using
the statistical procedure of linear regression. This technique examines the
association between a set of several factors that predict an outcome variable.
Inter-correlations between predictor factors are taken into account in linear
regression analyses, resulting in a clearer understanding of how all the
predictor factors relate together.
5.3.1. Linear regression model of academic performance scores
A linear regression model to predict academic performance was tested. The
predictors for the model were chosen by examining correlations between
academic performance and other items in the survey. The model accounted
36
for a modest amount of the variation in reported academic scores. We could
account for 9% of the variation in reported academic performance scores
using this model. The Beta statistic is used to indicate which predictors are
especially strong. The significant predictors in the model referred to:
 Reported weekly time in class (standardised Beta=.21)
 Student engagement item 'I want to study the subject in depth by
taking interesting and stimulating courses' (Beta=.12).
 The RAPS item 'not remember things you said or did' (Beta=-.10)
 Weekly time spent doing study outside class (Beta=.08)
 Total perceived stress score (Beta=-.07)
These findings suggest that academic motivation, lower stress perceptions,
and avoidance of harms attributable to alcohol partly predict academic
performance. Alcohol consumption levels were not a significant direct
predictor of academic performance, but did have an indirect impact; alcohol
consumption is associated with RAPS scores and time spent in class.
5.3.2. Linear regression model of SF-36 vitality sub-scale scores
The SF-36 vitality and mental health scores were lower than norms reported
in the Irish population. Other studies of university samples have also found
that students report relatively low vitality and mental health (Stewart-Brown
et al., 2000). Linear regression models were designed and tested to identify
factors that predict these important indicators of health and well-being.
A model was tested to identify predictors of SF-36 vitality scores. This
regression model accounted for 30% of the variation in vitality scores. The
significant predictors were perceived stress (standardised Beta=-.47), hours
of sleep during weeknights (Beta=.14), harms due to own drinking (Beta=.10), and gender (Beta=-.08). There was not a direct association between
alcohol use and vitality, although regular binge drinkers report significantly
higher vitality scores and alcohol consumption predicted harms due to
drinking.
Stress perceptions emerged forcefully from this model, so correlations
between individual stress items and vitality scores were assessed. The items
with the highest correlation with physical vitality scores were stress due to
studies in general (r=-.34), subject-specific demands (-.29), anonymity (-.29),
exams (-.30), living situation (-.35), relationship (-.33), circle of friends (-.33),
and illness (-.32). This is an important finding as it indicates stress levels are
linked to perceptions of physical vitality. It is also noteworthy that reported
sleep during weeknights predicted physical vitality; less sleep during the week
predicted lower vitality scores. Likewise, higher levels of harms due to alcohol
and female gender were also predictors of lower vitality scores.
37
5.3.3. Linear regression model of SF-36 mental health sub-scale
scores
A separate linear regression model was designed and tested to identify which
factors predict SF-36 mental health (MHI-5) scores. The model accounted for
35.1% of variation in mental health scores. The significant predictors were:
 Perceived stress scores (Beta=-.52)
 Harms from drinking (Beta=-.14)
 SETLQ item „I want to study the subject in depth by taking interesting
and stimulating courses‟ (Beta=.12)
 Number of hours spent playing sport (Beta=.11)
 Sleep on weeknights (Beta=.08)
Thus, stress was the dominant predictor of SF-36 mental health scores, just
as it was in relation to reported physical vitality. We carried out a follow up
analysis to assess correlations between mental health scores and individual
stress items. The items with the highest correlations concerned anonymity
(r=-.38), subject-specific demands (-.34), studies in general (-.38),
competition in college (-.32), exams (-.34), living situation (-.38), family
situation (-.31), relationships (-.40), and circle of friends (-.42). It is also
notable that mental health scores were associated with lower reported harms
from drinking, more sleep during the week, hours spent playing sport, and
interest in the academic subject studied.
5.3.4. Linear regression model of perceived stress scores
Finally we constructed a linear regression model to examine the factors that
might trigger stress. The predictor factors were chosen after inspecting how
stress scores correlated with other survey responses. The two SF-36 subscales on mental health and physical vitality were strongly correlated with
stress (r=.50+). However we did not include these in the model because we
consider stress as contributing to lower vitality and mental health scores. The
model accounted for only 15% of variation in stress scores. This
demonstrates that further research is needed to identify how causes of stress
might operate over time.
The model showed that total reported harms from other people's drinking was
the strongest single predictor of stress scores:
 Harms from other people's drinking (Beta=.28)
 Gender (Beta=.18)
 Weeknight sleep (Beta=-.14)
 Number of hours spent playing sport (Beta=-.09).
 Weekly time spent in class (Beta=.08)
Women had higher stress scores and the model also showed that more sleep
during the week was associated with lower perceived stress. Involvement in
sport was linked with lower stress scores, suggesting an association of
exercise with more positive outcomes. More time spent in class was predictive
of higher stress scores, highlighting how academic demands relate to
38
perceived stress. Notably, stress scores were highest on items concerning
exams and studies.
39
6. DISCUSSION OF SLS FINDINGS
The survey findings contribute to our understanding of the experiences and
perceptions of students at NUI Galway. The Student Lifestyle Survey provides
extensive information on a range of indicators concerning student health,
well-being, and perceptions of the university experience. It also establishes a
baseline for monitoring changes in student needs and perceptions over time.
Several headline findings arose from the analysis of survey findings:
6.1.1. Binge drinking
The prevalence of binge drinking reported by NUI Galway students was
comparable to that found in the CLAN survey of students across all Irish
universities (Hope et al., 2005). Irish university students are acknowledged to
have among the highest rates of alcohol consumption internationally (Dantzer
et al., 2006). Half of the students who responded to the SLS survey reported
binge drinking once a week or more. Most of the remaining students reported
binge drinking once a month or more, but less than once a week, indicating
that binge drinking was a normative behaviour.
Qualitative studies show that students and other young adults describe binge
drinking in different terms to health professionals. The cut-off of eight
standard drinks on a single drinking occasion is often described by students
as a threshold that is too conservative. However, the category of 'regular
binge drinker' proved useful in the SLS. Regular binge drinking was associated
with risks and harms such as fights, financial problems, smoking and cannabis
use, with less time spent in academic study and lower academic marks. At the
same time, the findings also demonstrated that binge drinking was not linked
to poorer self-reported physical or mental health among the sample as a
whole.
Gender was an important factor in the analysis of survey responses. Male
students reported higher alcohol consumption, prevalence of binge drinking
and expenditure on alcohol. Over 60% of male students who took part in the
SLS were regular binge drinkers, and compared with women reported a
relatively high frequency of alcohol-related harms. Males were also more likely
to engage in smoking and cannabis use, particularly when combined with
regular binge drinking. Male regular binge drinkers reported vitality scores
somewhat lower than those recorded by other male drinkers, a pattern
reversed among females. On average, regular female binge drinkers reported
better vitality than females who drank less.
There was little difference in male students' mental health scores as a
function of binge drinking status. Female regular binge drinkers, who
comprised more than 40% of the female sample, reported significantly better
mental health than other female drinkers. Thus, female drinkers who did not
report engaging in regular binge drinking emerged as a group with relatively
low self-reported mental health and vitality.
40
The high prevalence of alcohol-related problems among students suggests
widespread acceptance of harms such as regret and hangovers. Similar
perceptions were reported in a recent qualitative study of female university
students (MacNeela & Bredin, 2011). Focus groups and interviews with
members of friendship networks identified acceptance and normalisation of
blackouts and 'the horrors' (i.e., a severe, remorseful hangover). Qualitative
studies have described an ambivalent relationship with alcohol. Drinking is
appraised positively as part of going to college, but students appear to be
concurrently aware of personal harm and impaired academic performance.
Consistent with this depiction, the Student Lifestyle Survey identified
hangovers, regret, guilt and missing class as common consequences of
alcohol use. Thirty per-cent of the students reported thinking sometimes that
they should reduce drinking and that their health had been harmed. The
survey identified verbal abuse and vandalism as the most common harms
from other people's drinking, with regular binge drinkers particularly likely to
report these.
6.1.2. Drug use
Drug use was less frequent compared with reported alcohol consumption.
Nevertheless, over a third of students reported using cannabis in the past
year, and 60% of these users had taken it three times or more during this
time. Associations between drug use, drinking, and gender were a significant
finding of the survey. Very regular or compulsive use was relatively
uncommon, with 4% reporting cannabis use ten times or more in the past
month. The prevalence of taking the next most popular drug was considerably
smaller (Ecstasy, 8%). The survey was carried out while it was still possible to
access drugs available locally through headshops, a situation that has now
changed. Further work is required to study trends in prevalence and
frequency of these drugs.
6.1.3. Physical and mental health and well-being
Assessing the most prevalent sources of stress is important for identifying
priority student needs. The SLS identified academic demands (e.g., exams,
study) and finances as the most frequent stressors. These should be studied
on an on-going basis considering the nature of the economic downturn and
increased student charges applied by all Irish universities. Both vitality and
mental health were low relative to the population norm (Morgan et al., 2008),
although similar to other university student surveys (Stewart-Brown et al.,
2000). Stress scores were the strongest predictor of vitality and mental health
ratings. The relatively low SF-36 vitality scores reported by women were
particularly linked to items for energy and tiredness. Health promotion
initiatives could help raise awareness about the relationship between wellbeing, nutrition and self-care. The prevalence of smoking remains stubbornly
high and strongly associated with binge drinker status.
41
6.1.4. Student engagement and empowering conditions
The survey included several measures indicative of the engagement and
growth that is part of a high quality university experience. Self-determination
reported by students was somewhat lower than that recorded by US
university samples (Johnston & Finney, 2010). Non-drinkers in particular
reported significantly lower satisfaction of self-determination needs than
drinkers. Students had positive expectations for university, according to
responses to the Shortened Experiences of Teaching and Learning
Questionnaire (ETL Project, 2005). Seventy per-cent of respondents agreed to
a fair or strong extent that they desired to become more independent and
confident, make a difference and develop personally by attending NUI
Galway. Students typically wanted to study their subject in depth and
expressed the pragmatic desire to get into a good career. Despite this,
approximately one in ten students wondered why they came to the university.
Overall, the campus was perceived as offering facilitating conditions for
personal empowerment, assessed through items taken from the National
Student Engagement Survey. The university was seen as offering particularly
strong support for academic components of the college experience, relative to
non-academic responsibilities and social thriving. Continuing the trend of a
mostly positive evaluation of the university experience, the survey
respondents reported widespread awareness of university services.
6.1.5. Year in college
Year in college was not a strong theme in explaining the survey findings,
although several important issues can be identified. For instance, weekly time
allocation to personal study in first year was particularly low among regular
binge drinkers. This issue applied to both genders, but male regular binge
drinkers reported the lowest time allocated to this activity. This could have a
bearing on attrition rates and lack of academic success in first year. Time
given over to paid employment is a related issue. While regular binge drinkers
reported higher time per week in paid employment, the greatest differential in
this was again noted among first year students. It is therefore important to
consider the impact of paid employment and drinking habits on study and
retention among first years. This is especially relevant considering the
increased financial demands on students since the time of the survey.
6.1.6. Extracurricular activities
The ALIVE volunteering programme is acknowledged as a national leader in
promoting civic engagement at university. On a related point, there are
almost 100 student societies and 50 sports clubs in the university, supported
by dedicated offices and support mechanisms. Nearly 45% of students who
took part in the SLS were active in sports clubs, societies or volunteering, a
similar proportion to those who reported being active in sports. There is scope
for the amount of student involvement to increase further, with one in eight
reporting volunteering. Averaged across the sample as a whole, the total
reported time commitment to volunteering equated to less than 30 minutes
per student per week.
42
Extracurricular facilities and services supported by the university are
important for enabling personal growth and responsibility. This was
demonstrated in a recent phenomenological study of students highly involved
in university societies or volunteering (Gannon, 2010). The students who
were interviewed described increased competence and confidence through
successful management of novel situations and responsibilities. Their
involvement was meaningful and engaging, giving a sense of commitment,
although some of the students also acknowledged stressful situations arising
from being in a position of responsibility. Niall Gannon's study, funded by the
Community Knowledge Initiative, showed that some challenges exceeded the
ability to cope, with specific stressors arising in connection with volunteering
and society leadership.
6.2. RECOMMENDATIONS
Each section of the findings gives valuable insight on the student experience,
and suggests the need for continued work on promoting health and wellbeing. Several priorities can be readily identified:
 Target initiatives concerning alcohol use, for instance by
complementing existing strategies such as e-Pub, and by informing
behaviour change projects contextualised to gender and drinking
patterns.
 Addressing perceptions of stress and strain. The most prevalent
sources of stress should be followed up in further research, with
particular consideration of individual stressors such as academic
demands, accommodation, relationships and social networks.
 Regular monitoring of changes from baseline data. A yearly student
survey is recommended, commencing in Semester 1, 2012-2013. This
will provide updated information on issues such as income /
expenditure patterns, accommodation, reliance on part-time work;
student evaluations of the university, expectations and engagement
motives; binge drinking and drug use; physical well-being and mental
health.
 Health promotion for tobacco, cannabis, nutrition, sleep, and sexual
health.
 Support alternatives to drinking that promote social and academic
development.
6.3. UNIVERSITY SERVICES
The university currently provides a range of student services, including the
university health centre, health promotion and counselling services,
chaplaincy, disability office and careers office. These offices provide drop-in
information services, formal support, health care treatment and referral. A
high level of awareness of these services was reported. Use of counselling
services increased by 25% from 2009-2010 to 2010-2011, indicating a higher
demand for services linked to stress and mental health. A new mental health
initiative named mymindmatters.ie is available from 2011-2012 to provide
online support to students. The issues identified in the Student Lifestyle
43
Survey are relevant to Irish society as a whole. Attitudes to topics such as
alcohol use, smoking and mental health are shaped before coming to
university, and influenced by factors outside university.
6.4. CONCLUSION
The Student Lifestyle Survey identifies a profile of student needs, lifestyle
habits and perceptions of the university experience. The campus is an
important setting for promoting health. Important factors for student health
well-being emerged in relation to gender and alcohol use, requiring further
research and health promotion initiatives. There was a high level of
awareness of student services provided by the university, but responses to
stress, physical vitality and mental health scales suggest there is a need for
enhanced support. The findings provide much needed information on the
university experience, which can be updated regularly in order to identify
changes in behaviour, perceptions and support needs.
44
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