PERCEPTIONS OF COLLEGE LIFE, EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING AND PATTERNS OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL-USE AMONG OXFORD UNDERGRADUATES

An anonymous questionnaire was sent to all the undergraduates in a sin gle College within Oxford University in order to explore perceptions o f university life, levels of stress and emotional well-being, attitude s and beliefs about alcohol and drugs, and the pattern of use of these substances. The response rate was 76%. There was a high level of cont entment with College life, but a third of students had felt rejected o n grounds of social class, and a third of the women reported sexual di scrimination or harassment. Average self esteem of the women equated t o a control population, but that of the men was abnormally high. Promi scuous sexual behaviour was unusual. A third of the women reported at least one episode of problematic binge-eating or dieting. Correlationa l analysis suggested the existence of a small minority of vulnerable, unhappy students. Drug and alcohol use among Oxford undergraduates app roximates to that of a similar age group in the general population. A third of students consume more than accepted levels of safe drinking. Drug use was largely confined to drugs other than heroin and cocaine, and 56% of the respondents had tried cannabis. The illegality of drugs had little influence on levels of consumption. Drug or alcohol use di d not correlate with physical or emotional problems. Students with pro blems were most likely to turn to other students for help, suggesting that properly-supported student counsellors would be a useful resource .