Студенты с СДВГ и речевыми нарушениями в колледже чаще сталкиваются с риском злоупотребления веществами, тогда как аутизм снижает эти шансы

College students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), learning disabilities, sensory disabilities, speech or language disorders, and multiple disabilities vs without disabilities are more likely to experience high-risk substance use, while autism was associated with lower odds. These study findings were published in Psychiatry Research Communications. Students with disabilities account for a growing proportion of the US college population, yet much is still unknown about how disability status affects severe substance use. Researchers conducted a retrospective analysis to evaluate whether specific disabilities, as well as multiple coexisting disabilities, were associated with high-risk substance involvement among college students. Using data from the American College Health Association National College Health Assessment III (ACHA-NCHA) surveys, researchers selected eligible participants. Study participants were undergraduate, graduate, professional, and nondegree-seeking students from US colleges and universities. Multivariable analyses adjusted for demographic characteristics, psychologic distress, chronic illness burden, and other potential confounders. Future research should investigate how academic accommodations and time of diagnosis impact high-risk substance use. Disability status was self-reported, while high-risk substance-specific involvement score (SSIS) was measured using the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST). To assess serious mental illness status, researchers used the Kessler 6 scale, while substance use involvement across a variety of substances, such as tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and prescription pills, was assessed using the ASSIST scale. A total of 640,806 participants (65.1% women; 53.7% White) were selected for final analysis. Of the study participants, ADHD was reported by 13.9% of students, followed by sensory disabilities (5.3%), learning disabilities (4.3%), autism (2.9%), mobility or dexterity disabilities (1.4%), and speech or language disorders (1.0%). The primary outcome was the presence of at least 1 high-risk SSIS, which researchers defined as the maximum risk level across the 11 ASSIST substances in the high-risk category. Students with vs without disabilities were more likely to report serious psychologic distress. The highest proportion who reported serious psychologic distress among disability groups examined were students with learning disability (36.8%), followed by students with ADHD (34.2%), and students with sensory disabilities (30.4%). Researchers found that the risk for substance use increased with the number of disabilities reported. Each additional disability was associated with a 26.1% increase in the adjusted odds for high-risk substance involvement (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.261; 95% CI, 1.233-1.290). Researchers noted that ADHD was associated with the greatest overall increase in risk (aOR, 1.845; 95% CI, 1.764-1.929), followed by speech or language disorders (aOR, 1.564; 95% CI, 1.365-1.791), learning disabilities (aOR, 1.321; 95% CI, 1.228-1.422), and sensory disabilities (aOR, 1.311; 95% CI, 1.222-1.407). Autism, however, was associated with lower odds for high-risk substance involvement overall (aOR, 0.851; 95% CI, 0.764-0.948), while mobility or dexterity disability was not significantly associated with the primary outcome. Researchers also examined individual substance categories. Students with vs without ADHD had increased odds for high-risk tobacco (aOR, 2.066; 95% CI, 1.927-2.216) and high-risk stimulant use (aOR, 2.562; 95% CI, 1.959-3.352). Additionally, students with ADHD had more than double the odds for high-risk prescription stimulant involvement compared to other disability groups. Similar patterns were observed among students with mobility/dexterity disabilities and sensory/language disabilities with stimulant use. Speech or language disorders were associated with the strongest relationship with high-risk prescription stimulant use (aOR, 3.737; 95% CI, 2.393-5.836). However, students with autism had lower odds for high-risk tobacco involvement (aOR, 0.765; 95% CI, 0.633-0.924). The analysis further suggested that coexisting disabilities may compound risk. Students with both sensory and speech or language disabilities had more than twice the odds for high-risk substance involvement (aOR, 2.588; 95% CI, 2.108-3.176), reaching statistical significance. Increased odds also were observed among students with mobility or dexterity disability and a speech or language disorder (aOR, 2.513; 95% CI, 1.957-3.228), ADHD and a speech or language disorder (aOR, 1.922; 95% CI, 1.599-2.311), and learning and sensory disabilities (aOR, 1.753; 95% CI, 1.502-2.046; all P <.0001). Study limitations include reliance on self-reported data, potential selection bias from voluntary participation, and limited generalizability to non-participating institutions. “Future research should investigate how academic accommodations and time of diagnosis impact high-risk substance use,” the study authors concluded. This article originally appeared on Psychiatry Advisor References: Qeadan F, O’Neil S, Casebolt T. Disability and substance use risk in higher education: findings from a national survey of college students. Psychiatry Res Commun. 2026;6(3):100270. doi:10.1016/j.psycom.2026.100270