Collegiate Recovery Programs Research Articles

Characterizing Collegiate Recovery Programs in the US and Canada: A Survey of Program Directors.

Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) play a vital and expanding role in supporting students in recovery from substance use disorders and behavioral addictions at higher education institutions. Despite their importance, there is a lack of comprehensive research characterizing CRPs, including their program directors and the nature and influence of their funding streams. A survey was administered to 70 CRP directors across the US and Canada. Directors reported on their CRPs across a variety of site physical features, policy and program offerings, and funding sources, with "sustainable" funding defined as two or more sources. CRP directors were predominantly non-Hispanic, White, and female, with representation from gender and sexual minorities. The highest concentration of directors responding were in the US states of North Carolina, California, and Texas. CRPs with more than one funding source served twice as many students and had significantly more space, drop-in facilities, and relapse management policies. CRP directors had positive perceptions of harm reduction principles. Additionally, results highlighted the robust availability of All Recovery meetings and the wide diversity of mutual-help group meetings offered within CRPs and directors' positive perceptions of these meetings. This research lays a foundation for enhancing CRPs within higher education settings, emphasizing the significance of sustained funding and an inclusive support framework for the program directors that run CRPs. Future studies should further explore the effectiveness of CRPs and their impacts on the schools and students they serve.

Barriers and facilitators to recovery among college students without access to a collegiate recovery program

Background Undergraduate students pursuing substance use recovery face multiple barriers, including widespread substance use on campus, stigma, and limited support. A small number of campuses have collegiate recovery programs to support students. Most students in recovery lack access to such programming, and little research has explored their experiences. Methods This study, framed by the recovery capital perspective, utilized thematic analysis to illuminate students’ experiences in recovery without a collegiate recovery program on a Midwestern US campus. Seventeen students participated in semi-structured interviews. We sought to understand the barriers to recovery these students faced and how students overcame them. Results Barriers exemplified limited or negative recovery capital. Students described substance use and mental health challenges, being overwhelmed with responsibilities, feeling isolated, and negative twelve-step group experiences. Students gained personal recovery capital by mobilizing personal strengths, coping, and self-care strategies. To build family/social capital, they engaged various supports (e.g. mutual aid or activist groups). Community capital was limited to campus counseling services or supportive professors. Notably, not all students chose abstinence. Conclusion This study augments the literature about how students in recovery overcome barriers without a collegiate recovery program. Universities should offer services to accommodate the range of recovery preferences and experiences.

Recovery resources for college students: Leveraging web scraping to unveil current estimates.

Growing recognition of the importance of addressing substance use among emerging adults has led to a rapid expansion of recovery services on college campuses. However, existing estimates on collegiate recovery programs or communities (CRPs/Cs) and other services are outdated or lack rigor, leaving the extent of these resources unclear. This study aimed to fill this gap in our understanding by providing current estimates of recovery-related resources. Utilizing the Python web scraping library BeautifulSoup, we gathered a large sample of ".edu"-hosted webpages (N = 995) with references to recovery services (e.g., "collegiate recovery", "peer support"). Eligible webpages (n = 552) were screened by a team of 11 reviewers to extract information on these services. During extraction, we identified 270 institutions that advertised on-campus recovery services for students. Of these institutions, 176 advertised formal CRPs/Cs. A majority of CRPs/Cs (n = 164) advertised mutual aid meetings and sober/drug-free social activities (n = 138), while only 83 advertised drop-in centers. Relatively few historically Black colleges or universities (n = 5), Hispanic-serving institutions (n = 21), or native-serving institutions (n = 0) hosted recovery services. On-campus services to support recovery have greatly expanded since previous estimates, but gaps may exist in the services provided by these programs. By providing an updated estimate and examining service uniformity, this study can aid in future expansion and standardization efforts to support students in recovery. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

T114 - Introducing a Socio-Ecological Model of Collegiate Recovery Programs

T114 - Introducing a Socio-Ecological Model of Collegiate Recovery Programs

Learning with conviction: Exploring the relationship between criminal legal system involvement and substance use and recovery outcomes for students in collegiate recovery programs

This study examines the association of criminal legal system involvement and age with substance use and academic related outcomes among students involved in collegiate recovery programs in the US. We examined 435 students in collegiate recovery using a national survey of college students. We computed differences between non-system-involved, system-involved with no incarceration history, and formerly incarcerated participants on relevant substance use and recovery-related outcomes. The results provide evidence that there are significant differences between those system-involved and those who are not. Specifically, we found significant differences across the outcomes of recovery capital, quality of life, hours worked per week, and substance use disorder symptoms, but after controlling for relevant covariates, only the differences between hours worked (non-system involved and system involved < formerly incarcerated) and substance use disorder symptoms (non-system involved < system involved and formerly incarcerated) remained significant. The study contributes to the literature by demonstrating that nearly half of the collegiate students in recovery in this sample have legal system-involvement and a third have been incarcerated. Further, interventions for collegiate recovery programs may need to be adjusted to account for legal system involvement among their members.

Characteristics of students participating in collegiate recovery programs and the impact of COVID-19: an updated national longitudinal study

The goals of the present study were to describe the development of the first national longitudinal study of collegiate recovery program (CRP) students; provide an updated characterization of CRP students’ demographics, past problem severity, and current recovery-related functioning; and examine the perceived impact of COVID-19 on CRP students’ recovery. Universities and community colleges with CRPs across the United States and Ontario, Canada, were invited to partner on this project. Launched in fall 2020, three cohorts of participants were recruited. All participants who completed the baseline survey (N = 334 from 43 CRPs) were invited to complete follow-up surveys. The sample was composed of mostly undergraduate, White, cisgender women averaging 29 years old at baseline. They reported challenging backgrounds, including high levels of polysubstance use, alcohol/substance problem severity, mental health challenges, and involvement with the criminal legal system. Despite such adversity, they evidenced high levels of recovery-related functioning. Recovery capital and quality of life were high. Students reported an average of nearly four years in recovery, with most having between two and four years of abstinence from their primary substance of choice. COVID-19 represented a substantial source of stress for many, impacting some students’ abstinence and recovery-related functioning. Results generally parallel findings from the only other national study of CRP students conducted a decade ago, providing a much-needed update and novel insights into CRP students. Findings can inform our understanding of the CRP student population and can be used to tailor CRP design and service offerings to students’ backgrounds and needs.

Being better than well at the University of Birmingham

Ongoing recovery from addiction often happens outside of formal “treatment” settings. Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) have existed in higher education institutions in the United States since the 1980s as part of vital “recovery ready ecosystems” (Ashford et al., 2020) for those with educational aspirations. Aspiration often begins with inspiration and Europeans are now beginning their own journeys with CRPs. In this narrative piece, I use my own lived experience of addiction and recovery through a life course that highlights mechanisms of change that are entwined with academia. This life course narrative maps well on to extant literature on recovery capital and illuminates some of the stigma-based boundaries that still stand in the way of progress in this field. The hope is that this narrative piece will inspire aspirations for both individuals and organizations thinking about setting up CRPs in Europe, and further a field, and also inspire people in recovery to consider education as an aspiration for their continued growth and healing.

A Socio-Ecological model for collegiate recovery programs

Given the major public health issue of substance use in the college environment and among college students, we must improve our understanding of students attempting to resolve substance related issues. Though much of research and policy attention has focused on individual progress according to personal characteristics and experiences, a much broader, theoretically informed understanding based on interpersonal relationships and contextual conditions of the school and society is warranted. Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) are a system-level intervention that acknowledges the individual in context and seeks to support them and capitalize on their own skills within a safe environment to practice recovery. To ground CRPs as an environmental support targeting emerging adults that can improve student health and well-being, we developed a social-ecological framework that conceptualizes the multifaceted factors that influence them. Specifically, we aimed to understand factors influencing individuals in CRPs through direct and indirect effects. This conceptualization will better inform the development, implementation, and evaluation of these programs. Our theory-driven framework elucidates the multi-level complexity of CRPs and the importance of individual interventions as well as intervention from multiple stakeholder groups.

Voicing student recovery: Embracing diversity in collegiate recovery programs

Objective: To discuss the engagement of patients and stakeholders (ie, faculty, staff, healthcare providers, and university administrators) in capacity building activities to prepare for future patient-centered research on collegiate recovery. Participants: 502 attended capacity building activities and provided input on priorities for future research in collegiate recovery and 77 participated in the deliberative democracy forum process. Methods: We used surveys and the deliberative democracy forum method, which includes framing sessions and forums for data collection. This method enables individuals with diverse backgrounds to share and learn about differing viewpoints to build consensus for decision making. Results: Forum participants prioritized barriers to recovery for future research and discussed the need to address diversity in collegiate recovery programs, including racial/ethnic diversity in the student recovery population and diversity in pathways to recovery, to decrease barriers to recovery. Conclusions: Institutional support for research on collegiate recovery is critical to move the field forward.

Advancing the science of evaluating Collegiate Recovery Program processes and outcomes: A recovery capital perspective

Collegiate recovery programs (CRPs) offer resources and programming for postsecondary students in addiction recovery to ensure they can initiate or maintain their recovery and complete college. To achieve these goals, CRPs offer a variety of activities that research and theory suggests should produce positive outcomes among their students; yet the lack of systematic evaluation research in this area means it is unknown which programming components may drive outcomes. Recovery capital theory posits a variety of factors at multiple ecological levels that might influence students’ recovery experience and their engagement and success in community programs like CRPs. To address this complexity in research and evaluation work on CRPs, we provide a recovery capital-oriented theory of change and logic model for CRP evaluations, and demonstrate how this model could be used with an exemplar case. This is followed by a recovery capital-oriented data collection toolkit for future research and evaluation. These efforts should help to inform program planners and evaluators interested in understanding the influence of the ecosystem of recovery-oriented systems of care in CRPs for emerging adults.

The cost-effectiveness of collegiate recovery programs

Objective To conduct a preliminary cost-effectiveness analysis of collegiate recovery programs in the United States and to create a tailorable cost-effectiveness calculator based on the preliminary cost-effectiveness model. Methods Cost-effectiveness was assessed with a base case, one-way sensitivity analyses, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses for the societal and health systems (institutions of higher education) perspectives, comparing CRPs to treatment as usual. Models were estimated using secondary data sources. A cost-effectiveness calculator was constructed using the models developed for the cost-effectiveness analysis. Results CRPs were found to be cost-effective across all models. Institutional and societal models were robust to changes in parameters. Conclusions CRPs are a cost-effective intervention and are cost-saving under certain conditions. A free online calculator developed form this analysis is available to estimate program-specific cost-effectiveness.

Lived Experiences of Students in Collegiate Recovery Programs at Three Large Public Universities

ABSTRACT This study examined the lived experiences of 12 students in recovery from Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) who were members of Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) at three academically-recognized universities that are also designated to be “party schools.” Using a three-interview series for in-depth phenomenological interviewing, this study investigated how students in recovery in CRPs make sense of their pasts, their present-day lives, and their futures. By analyzing students’ use of narrative, their use of social and cultural discourses, and the shifting subject positions they adopted, co-opted, and disputed in their ongoing identity construction as individuals in recovery, three main discursive themes were identified: First, recovery discourses were primarily rooted in the discourses of Alcoholics Anonymous. A second set of discourses drove students to acquire the qualifications necessary to gain a professional career and to avoid falling out of their social class. In the third set of discourses, students in CRPs defined and claimed social power for themselves, and their CRPs helped them establish various means to be “cool” in college. Reshuffling discourses to (re)position themselves, students in CRPs resisted college discourses that invited them to return to active use.

Co-occurring mental and behavioral health conditions among collegiate recovery program members

Objective: This study describes the mental and behavioral health histories and treatment utilization among students enrolled in Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs), college-based supports for students who are in recovery from substance use or other comorbid disorders. Participants: Participants were 861 college students enrolled in five CRPs across the United States (44% female, 89% white, 91% undergraduate). Methods: De-identified student data, collected from 2019–2020, were harmonized and descriptively analyzed. Results: A majority of CRP students reported mental health and substance use treatment histories. Approximately one-third reported a history of eating disorders or other compulsive behaviors (46%) and 69% reported histories of mental health concerns. Results indicated a complex history of mental health and substance use recovery needs among students. Conclusions: Students attending CRPs reported a wide range of mental and behavioral health concerns in addition to substance use disorders, highlighting the need for continued support for these students’ recovery and well-being at higher education institutions.

Recovery survey confirms achievements in numerous domains after resolution

Results of a newly published survey offer a powerful counter to the stigmatizing notion that people with substance use disorders represent more of a burden than a benefit to society. The results showing substantial personal, civic and economic achievements in recovery also point to the importance of services that can help individuals build recovery capital, including those that are offered in recovery community centers and collegiate recovery programs.

Collegiate recovery programs growing, but most don't include dedicated housing

The establishment of comprehensive recovery programs on college campuses has seen explosive growth over the past decade, with well over 200 schools across the country now believed to have such programs. A scant minority of these collegiate recovery initiatives, however, include a component that some see as crucial to offering full support to the recovering young adult: safe and substance‐free recovery housing.

A multi-site study of emerging adults in collegiate recovery programs at public institutions

BackgroundCollegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) are campus-based support programs for substance use and recovery needs among college students. These CRPs utilize a variety of program activities and components aimed at promoting healthy development and sobriety while encouraging college retention among participants. ObjectivesDescribe the types of activities and administrative structures used in CRPs, examine the characteristics of students involved in this sample, and explore changes in students’ outcomes after they have enrolled in a CRP. MethodsThis multi-site study collected de-identified data from six CRPs on participating students’ sociodemographic characteristics, academic performance, substance use, and socioemotional well-being. One CRP administrator from each participating site completed a survey on CRP programming. Data were harmonized across sites and descriptively summarized. ResultsParticipating CRPs had been in operation since 2007 to 2012. Five of the six sites provided individual-level student data for a total of 861 students (56% male, 89% White, 91% undergraduate). Student histories indicated the majority had received treatment for a substance use disorder (82%) or mental health concern (77%), 56% had criminal justice involvement, and the majority were in recovery less than five years. Student GPA improved in three of the four sites that provided student GPA data. ConclusionsCRPs collect diverse types of data on participating students, but more effort is needed to focus on systematic data collection. Findings from this study suggest that CRPs play an important role in providing needed services for this vulnerable population of college students.

“This Program Helped Save Our Lives so We All Can Bond over That”: A Preliminary Study of the First Oxford House Collegiate Recovery Home

ABSTRACT College settings can be challenging environments for students recovering from substance use disorder. Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRP) have emerged on college campuses across the United States to help mitigate the risks recovering students face and to promote academic and recovery success. The current article describes the first collegiate recovery home to follow an Oxford House [OH] model, established at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. In the present preliminary study, qualitative data were utilized to explore the strengths and challenges of this recovery model and students’ experiences in the OH collegiate recovery home. Key stakeholders in the creation of this collegiate recovery home (n =2), as well as current and former student participants (n = 6), were interviewed. The key stakeholders’ interviews revealed insights on the home’s creation, modifications made from the traditional OH model, and the challenges faced in implementing a collegiate recovery home. Rapid qualitative analysis of the interviews of residents revealed salient themes that describe students’ experiences within the collegiate recovery home: (1) resident social support, (2) connection to the student body, (3) anonymous status of the house, (4) lifestyle, (5) optimism, (6) self-independence, (7) Collegiate OH is essential for sobriety, and (8) UNC involvement and oversight. The implications of these findings for collegiate recovery homes are discussed, as well as suggestions for future studies.

Assessing Collegiate Recovery Programs and the Challenges of Campus Binge Drinking

Background: Binge drinking is a dangerous practice. Among college students, continuously high rates of binge drinking in campus result in deaths, accidents, poor academic performance, risky behavior, the development of substance use disorder, and a number of other serious problems and conditions. Collegiate Recovery Programs have shown promise as an intervention for curbing binge drinking at colleges and universities. Objective: This paper reviews the literature on the prevalence and risks of campus binge drinking, and the relative success of interventions designed to limit it. While certain initiatives have succeeded more than others, the most appropriate strategy combines efforts on the environmental and individual level to incorporate policies tailored to the unique needs of a given collegiate community, consistent with findings on the best options for treatment and recovery in general. Result: Evidence suggests that Collegiate Recovery Programs are an effective strategy at some schools because they provide holistic and targeted care for students in recovery. They serve a vulnerable student population whose interests are often overlooked in the wider consideration of campus binge drinking and issues of safety and bureaucratic incentives. Conclusion: Collegiate Recovery Programs ought to be considered as at least one helpful avenue for schools considering ways to cut down elevated binge drinking rates. Tailored strategies incorporating other effective approaches should consider these programs as part of their overall focus.

A Community College approach to the Collegiate Recovery Movement

The history of collegiate recovery programs in the United States attempts to connect two competing yet related activities. The First Movement is a treatment renewal movement whose goals are to reconnect treatment to the process of long-term recovery and rebuild relationships between treatment organizations, local communities and local recovery support groups. The Second Movement, the recovery advocacy movement, rose in reaction to the re-stigmatization, de-medicalization and re-criminalization of alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems in the 1980s and 1990s. The goals of this second movement included reaffirming the reality of long-term addiction recovery, by celebrating the legitimacy of multiple pathways of recovery, enhancing the variety, availability and quality of local/ regional treatment and recovery support services, and transforming existing human services into recovery-oriented systems of care. The goal of the above approaches is to integrate a comprehensive social support network both on campus and in the community geared toward: (1) the elimination of stress on college campuses; (2) being attentive regarding environmental factors such as, stigma and discrimination; and (3) increasing employment opportunities (workforce Initiatives).

Collegiate Recovery Programs: Helping College Students in Recovery Succeed

College recovery services are designed to provide necessary supports for college students with issues related to substance use disorders to be successful in postsecondary education. However, as a still emerging form of student supports, major issues remain such as funding, the utilization of evidence-based interventions, effective program evaluations, and the need for more empirical research. This article provides a historical overview of Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs) and an examination of current issues facing the field; it concludes with recommendations for program administrators, researchers, and rehabilitation counselors.