Background and Objectives In light of the rapidly changing legal status of marijuana in the U.S., there has been increased interest in the potentially adverse outcomes of heavy marijuana use among young persons. The goal of this study was to investigate frequent marijuana use among undergraduates, and its association with the use of illicit substances, mental health problems, and stress. Methods Undergraduates from one university in the Northeast were surveyed using a questionnaire derived from the American College Health Association-National College Health Assessment (N =1,776). Logistic regression analyses were used to examine relationships between frequency of marijuana use and other substance use, binge drinking, negative consequences of drinking, mental health problems, and perceived stress. Analyses were adjusted for demographics differences such as gender, race, year in school, and sorority/fraternity membership. Results Approximately 1 in 12 undergraduates (8.5%) reported using marijuana more than 10 days in the past month. Frequent marijuana use was associated with increased likelihood of other substance use and alcohol-related negative outcomes. Marijuana use was associated with increased reports of anxiety, and frequent use was associated with depression and substance use problems. Perceived stress was not associated with marijuana use. Conclusions and Scientific Significance These findings, indicating that frequent use is related to depression, other substance use and negative outcomes, contribute to our understanding of marijuana use among undergraduates. Given the relatively high prevalence of marijuana use among young persons, future studies should seek to uncover potentially causal relationships between frequent marijuana use and a variety of negative outcomes.
Wellness is not a universally defined concept, in that it has many different models and included dimensions based on a variety of publications. As will be demonstrated with the resources listed in this article, other terms that are linked with wellness and are needed to compile a compendium of reputable resources include school health, health education, health promotion, well-being, and health behavior. Additionally, a significant number of available resources are centered on one or more topics related to wellness (e.g., nutrition) but do not always incorporate broader wellness approaches. As such, those resources are only included here if they make a substantial contribution to the literature. To understand concepts of wellness in any educational setting requires first to understand how the term is being defined in that space or for that population. In some places, wellness is simply referring to physical health, not unlike an older model of health as simply the absence of disease. In a growing number of settings wellness is multidimensional, with models ranging from five to nine different dimensions. Contemporary wellness in education has grown from nurses working to address infectious diseases among school students to the belief that a well-rounded and educated individual will value and apply health principles to make informed decisions that support whole-person well-being. Along the way, colleges and universities added staff to promote wellness—to absolve faculty of having to support student’s health; and primary and secondary schools added health and wellness teachers, many primarily focused on the promotion of physical activity. Whether building on Hettler’s six-dimension wellness model to the nine-dimension model used by a number of colleges and universities it is critical to remember that education is the setting of practice. In doing so, the purpose of education must be at the center as stated by William David Burns in 1999 (cited as Burns 1999 under Reports and Other Resources: Postsecondary) when he said “Let’s start with our own core academic mission, namely guarantying the integrity, rigor, quality, and effectiveness of the education we offer…” (p. 5). The need to apply rigor and to measure effectiveness of wellness in education is an unending imperative that requires the best resources. Understanding wellness in education requires subdividing the educational context into two major domains: (1) primary and secondary and (2) postsecondary. Each setting provides contextual elements that drive wellness and these items often cannot be separated from the broader wellness concept. For the purposes of this bibliography, primary and secondary grades are defined as kindergarten through grade twelve, and postsecondary is defined as college, including undergraduate and graduate studies.
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