Got Health? Examining the Relationships between Well-being, Substance Use/misuse, and Delinquency

• In Event: Substance Use Predictors and Consequences in College Students and Young Adults

Abstract

Until recent history, there has been limited research on the effects of sleep and well-being on delinquency (Clinkinbeard, Simi, Evans, and Anderson 2011). The growing body of research predominantly addresses adolescent populations, which indicates positive relationships between well-being and sleep, and inverse relationships between those and delinquency and aggression (Clinkinbeard, Simi, Evans, and Anderson 2011; Peach and Gaultney 2013; Fite, Becker, Rubens, Cheatham-Johnson 2015). While college students may face similar negative effects on academic success, health, and safety as their adolescent counterparts, they also have a tendency to address the lack of well-being and sleep issues differently, through using various substances to aid sleep and sustain alertness (Taylor and Bramoweth 2010; Owens 2014). This study utilizes self-report data collected from students at a metropolitan university to examine the relationships between well-being, substance use and misuse, and delinquency. Based on these findings, program and policy implications are suggested and discussed.

Authors

• James Hurst, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

• Tusty ten Bensel, University of Arkansas at Little Rock

• Julie Marie Baldwin, Missouri State University

• Jacob Laan, University of Arkansas at Little Rock