The Link Between Recent Sexual Abuse and Drug Use Among African American Male College Students : It's Not Just a Female Problem in and Around Campus

Abstract This study examined the relationship between sexual abuse in or around campus and drug use among young African-American males in college. It offers cross-sectional analysis of data collected from the Alcohol and Substance Abuse Awareness and Use Study (ASAAUS). Data collection took place in October 2004 via a self-administered survey among 181 African-American male students. Males who reported past sexual abuse in or around campus were significantly more likely than nonsexuallyabused males to have used tobacco (41% v. 19%, p < .05), alcohol (82% v. 49%, p < .05), marijuana (59% v. 30%,p < .05), and cocaine (18% v. 2%, p < .05) in the 30 day preceding the interview. Logistic regression analyses indicated that sexual abuse history in or around campus was significantly associated with past year (OR = 9.8, p ≤ 0.001) and past 30 day (OR = 5.0, p ≤ 0.001) drug use.