Unhealthy drinking habits are on the rise and despite the efforts implemented by schools, just under 2,000 college students die a year from unintentional alcohol-related injuries (Hingson & White, 2014). Figuring out what leads students to binge drinking is crucial to finding a preventive solution to slow down drinking rates. This study’s purpose is to […]
A02: Anxiety Sensitivity and Alcohol-Induced Blackouts: Exploring the Impact of Drinking Motives and Gender in College Students
Anxiety sensitivity is defined as fear related to the belief that the symptoms of anxiety that a person experiences are indicative of greater harm (Taylor et al., 2007). Anxiety sensitivity is a risk factor for heavy alcohol use (Paulus & Zvolensky, 2020; Stewart et al., 1999). Of note, in existing research, there are gaps on […]
A03: The impact of belonging to minority-based organizations on minority stress experiences and HRV in college
Minoritized students are exposed to additional unique stressors due to the systematic devaluation of their identities in the broader climate. Indeed, students holding minoritized identities (vs. those who do not) report higher levels of mental health concerns. Institutions of higher education often provide a range of resources to support students in their individual growth. One […]
A04: College Students Drinking behaviors and its Relationship with Experiencing FOMO and Academic Burnout
Approximately, 71% of college students experience academic burnout symptoms during their college career (George Citrone, 2021). Burnout is a feeling of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion due to the perception of high levels of stress. Burnout is an issue that affects many students and relates to excessive drinking. Blacking out is defined as a period […]
A05: Perceived Popularity and Snack Choices
Humans face many choices that often includes a variety of information. In the end, decision-makers must decide what information they want to consider in each choice. One area of interest is how the choices of others influence the preferences of the decision-maker. We investigated if the snack preferences of college students for sixteen common snack […]
A07: Evaluating Sex Differences in Ethanol Consumption in the Four Core Genotype Model
The research conducted in this study focuses on the four core genotypes (FCG) mouse line and their binge drinking habits of ethanol. The FCG mouse line is a transgenic mouse line that translocates the sex-determining region y, “sry,” to an autosome (presence of the sry gene causes testes to develop). This results in four different […]
A43: Striatal Cholinergic Interneurons Influence Ethanol Drinking
Heavy alcohol use and binge drinking are important contributors to alcohol use disorder (AUD). The endogenous opioid system has been implicated in alcohol consumption and preference in both humans and animals. The mu opioid receptor (MOR) is expressed on multiple cells in the striatum, however little is known about the contributions of specific MOR populations […]
A64: Living to Serve: Dimensions of Service in Low-Income Communities
Food banks are the primary form of addressing food insecurity in low socioeconomic communities across high-income countries. Because positive feedback of food banks is mostly associated with volunteers, this poses a question of what qualities are associated with high-quality volunteerism or service. The SERVQUAL model (1988) is used as the standard for food pantries, financial […]
B01: Hidden Hunger: Confronting Stigma and Solving Food Insecurity
Over winter break, I looked into food insecurity by volunteering at TOPSS food pantry in Oxford. Over the course of break, I helped fill bags for individuals, helped with curbside shopping, and other duties such as stocking and maintaining shelves in the pantry. While doing this experience, I became very interested in understanding how stigma […]
B39: Are College Students Who Possess a Fake ID More Inclined to Participate in Other Illegal Activities Than College Students Who Do Not Possess a Fake ID?
Author(s): Andrea Balazs, Chemistry and Premedical Studies Advisor(s): Rose Marie Ward, Department of Psychology