Risk factors for harm caused by alcohol use among students at higher education institutions: an integrative literature review

Abstract

Harmful alcohol use has detrimental effects for higher education students. Students may fail to fulfil their role obligations on an educational and social level, and become involved in risky practices such as driving under the influence of alcohol, exposure to violence and relationship problems. The aim of this integrative review was to examine the risk factors for harmful alcohol use among students to illuminate factors potentially predictive of alcohol related harm. An integrative literature search was conducted to search databases PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), EBSCOhost and Google Scholar. Articles were screened to include qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods research, using a population of higher education students, published between 2010 and 2021, written in English. Results from 35 publications were grouped according to themes to describe factors that increase the risk of alcohol-related harm among students. Physical, behavioral, psychological, and social risk factors were identified. Understanding predisposing factors may help to reduce the harm caused by alcohol use among students. Theoretical integration in the discussion highlight potential interventions to target physical, behavioral, psychological and social domains in specific student populations.