Longitudinal influence of alcohol and marijuana use on academic performance in college students.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Alcohol and marijuana are the two most abused substances in US colleges. However, research on the combined influence (cross sectional or longitudinal) of these substances on academic performance is currently scant.

Methods

Data were derived from the longitudinal 2-year Brain and Alcohol Research in College Students (BARCS) study including 1142 freshman students who completed monthly marijuana use and alcohol consumption surveys. Subjects were classified into data-driven groups based on their alcohol and marijuana consumption. A linear mixed-model (LMM) was employed using this grouping factor to predict grade point average (GPA), adjusted for a variety of socio-demographic and clinical factors.

Results

Three data-driven clusters emerged: 1) No/low users of b

SUBMITTER: Meda SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5342177 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature