“They’re doing it anyway, let’s have a conversation about it”: exploring student and stakeholder attitudes towards drug education programmes for university students

Abstract

Purpose: Drug (including alcohol) use among UK university students is estimated to be widespread and associated with adverse social, physical, and mental health consequences. Drug Education Programmes (DEPs) may reduce drug-related harm although there is a sparsity of literature exploring their use in higher education settings; a gap our research aimed to fill. Materials and Methods: We conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 20 university students and four individuals involved in the development and/or implementation of university drug education services. Interviews explored students’ experiences of drug use and the perceived barriers and facilitators for implementing university DEPs. Results: Using reflexive thematic analysis, we developed the following five themes: (1) A culture of drug use; (2) Balancing risk and reward; (3) Drug use as a coping mechanism; (4) The current approach is failing students; and (5) A new approach. Conclusions: While DEPs are a promising way of reducing harm, students’ fears of judgment, punishment, and criminalization may prevent them from fully engaging with them. Successful implementation of DEPs would therefore require structural changes to encourage students to access any future interventions.