Conference poster
Implementation of Universal Screening in a Student Health Setting: Initial Findings
Annals of behavioral medicine, v 60(Supplement_1), pp S551-S551
01 Apr 2026
Abstract
For many young adults, college represents their first experience of independence; a time that often results in early experimentation with alcohol and other illicit substances. While most young adults will not go on to develop an alcohol or substance use disorder, misuse of alcohol and other substances has been shown to lead to a variety of problematic outcomes in this population, including driving fatalities, mental health difficulties, and interpersonal challenges. Recognizing that early identification of, and intervention for risky behaviors, can yield positive behavioral change and better health outcomes, it has been suggested that evidence-based practices such as Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) be employed with young adults.
In response, as part of a large implementation project funded by SAMHSA, universal screening practices were introduced into our university’s student health service on January 6, 2025. The tools administered include the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) and the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10). The AUDIT is a screening tool used to assess alcohol consumption, behaviors, and problems associated with alcohol use (World Health Organization) while the DAST, is brief, standardized self-report instrument used to screen for possible involvement with drugs (not including alcohol or tobacco). Of the 1,291 young adults aged 18-44 (Mean = 23.81, SD = 4.48) screened through 06/30/2025 (64 % female), 4.9% reported alcohol and/or substance use indicating a need for Brief Intervention services. With respect to the individual measures, we observed scores on the AUDIT ranging between 0 and 28 (M = 2.23, SD = 2.62), with scores on the DAST ranging between 0 and 8 (M = .53, SD = .88). While the overall positivity rate was surprisingly low, the nature of the screening environment (a university student health where respondents may have had concerns about confidentiality) could have contributed to student underreporting problematic behavior. Furthermore, while to the best of our knowledge, this effort represents one of the earliest efforts at introducing universal screening into a collegiate health service system, we do not know if the sample obtained is representative of the general population of young adults in an academic setting. Follow-up interviews, which are part of the ongoing data collection process, will all allow us to assess the efficacy of SBIRT with this unique population.
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Details
- Title
- Implementation of Universal Screening in a Student Health Setting: Initial Findings
- Creators
- Troi Rutherford - Drexel University, Counseling and Family TherapyLauren Kairys - Drexel University, College of MedicineRobert Charles Sterling - Drexel University, Pharmacology and PhysiologyMargaret Dickinson - Drexel University, College of MedicineJessica L Chou - Drexel University, Counseling and Family TherapyRikki A Patton - Drexel University, Counseling and Family TherapyKristen Pedersen - Western Michigan UniversityZahrah Daliyah Huriyah Surratt - Drexel University, College of MedicineSharra Wile - Drexel UniversityGary Davis - Drexel UniversityEmily Hudash - Drexel University
- Publication Details
- Annals of behavioral medicine, v 60(Supplement_1), pp S551-S551
- Conference
- 47th SBM Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions (Society of Behavioral Medicine), 47th (Chicago, Illinois, United States, 22 Apr 2026–25 Apr 2026)
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Number of pages
- 1
- Resource Type
- Conference poster
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- College of Medicine; Pharmacology and Physiology; Counseling and Family Therapy
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:001748497506105
- Other Identifier
- 991022189171504721