Objectives-To develop a multi-dimensional model that might explain college suicide ideation.Methods-Face-to-face interviews were conducted with 1,249 first-year college students.Results-An estimated 6% wt of first-year students at this university had current suicide ideation. Depressive symptoms, low social support, affective dysregulation, and father-child conflict were each independently associated with suicide ideation. Only 40% wt of individuals with suicide ideation were classified as depressed according to standard criteria. In the group who reported low levels of depressive symptoms, low social support and affective dysregulation were important predictors of suicide ideation. Alcohol use disorder was also independently associated with suicide ideation, while parental conflict was not.Conclusions-Results highlight potential targets for early intervention among college students.

Objectives-This longitudinal study examined the prevalence and correlates of energy drink use among college students, and investigated its possible prospective associations with subsequent drug use, including nonmedical prescription drug use.Methods-Participants were 1,060 undergraduates from a large, public university who completed three annual interviews, beginning in their first year of college. Use of energy drinks, other caffeinated products, tobacco, alcohol, and other illicit and prescription drugs were assessed, as well as demographic and personality characteristics.Results-Annual weighted prevalence of energy drink use was 22.6% wt and 36.5% wt in the second and third year of college, respectively. Compared to energy drink non-users, energy drink users had heavier alcohol consumption patterns, and were more likely to have used other drugs, both concurrently and in the preceding assessment. Regression analyses revealed that Year 2 energy drink use was significantly associated with Year 3 nonmedical use of prescription stimulants and prescription analgesics, but not with other Year 3 drug use, holding constant demographics, prior drug use, and other factors.Conclusions-A substantial and rapidly-growing proportion of college students use energy drinks. Energy drink users tend to have greater involvement in alcohol and other drug use and higher levels of sensation-seeking, relative to non-users of energy drinks. Prospectively, energy drink use has a unique relationship with nonmedical use of prescription stimulants and analgesics. More research is needed regarding the health risks associated with energy drink use in young adults, including their possible role in the development of substance use problems. KeywordsCollege students; energy drinks; prescription stimulants; longitudinal study; caffeine NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author ManuscriptSince energy drinks were first introduced in the 1990s, the industry has experienced considerable growth with an average annual growth rate of 55% from 2002 to 2006, and annual sales now totaling approximately $5.4 billion (Packaged Facts, 2007). Given that energy drinks are typically marketed to adolescents and young adultse-especially males (Reissig et al., 2009)-it is not surprising that the past-month prevalence of energy drink use among college students is high, with estimates ranging from 39% to 57% (Malinauskas et al., 2007;Miller, 2008b;Oteri et al., 2007). Unfortunately, energy drink consumption has gone largely unnoticed in the scientific literature, but from a public health perspective, it is important to understand the potential impact energy drinks may have on the health and wellbeing of young adults.Only a small number of studies of college students have attempted to identify the correlates of energy drink consumption and describe the patterns of use. A consistent finding is that students who consume energy drinks have higher rates of alcohol and other drug involvement (Miller, 2008a;O'Brien et al., 2008;Oteri et al., 2...