Date of Award

2014

Embargo Period

8-1-2024

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

College

College of Nursing

First Advisor

Lynne S. Nemeth

Second Advisor

Susan Newman

Third Advisor

Marilyn Sommers

Fourth Advisor

Elaine J. Amella

Abstract

Existing knowledge about alcohol misuse and abuse and nursing students is founded upon studies conducted primarily in the 1980's and 1990's, thus raising questions as to its relevance in 2014. The patterns of alcohol use and other substances over the past 30 years by students raise several questions concerning this phenomenon, which needs further explanation beyond just the high stress and demands of nursing education. The literature was examined first to identify existing knowledge on alcohol misuse and abuse among nursing students. From this review, we concluded that policy plays a vital role in this issue. Therefore, we next reviewed nursing policy to identify existing alcohol use, misuse and abuse policies to determine how, if at all, they are implemented. Lastly, using the Photovoice method, we conducted a qualitative study to obtain nursing students' perceptions of the risks and protective factors associated with their alcohol behaviors, and to categorize those factors using the ecological health behavior model. Collectively, findings from all papers provide a view of the complexity of this issue. A continued dialogue is needed that will drive policy change(s) and future research initiatives to better address alcohol use, misuse and abuse in the nursing student population.

Rights

All rights reserved. Copyright is held by the author.

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