Greek Environments: An Update on the Effects of Fraternities and Sororities on Health-Related Behaviors

Abstract

The authors investigate whether Greek affiliation and living in Greek housing significantly influence college students’ health-related behaviors. In addition, based on the findings, this study provides some important implications about the current practice of Greek society in higher education. The authors empirically tested a path model using three waves of nationwide large-scale data sets. Consistent across the three samples, Greek affiliation among college students was positively associated with violent behavior; substance abuse that includes cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana; and infection with sexually transmitted diseases. In addition to the negative effects associated with Greek membership, students living in Greek houses are more likely to be involved in physical fights and use alcohol and marijuana. These findings and the history of studies on Greek environments indicate that a more robust response to altering these environments may be necessary to curb the negative effects.