The transition to college represents a critical developmental period. Many individuals are leaving their family home for the first time. This transition is associated with a variety of new stressors and changing responsibilities. For many students, this period marks changes in family dynamics as they become increasingly independent (Leondari and Kiosseoglou, 2000). During this period, many students move away from prior social supports and enter into new social environments with novel peer influences. Additionally, the college environment often encompasses increases in academic rigor, financial restraints, and personal responsibility for physical and emotional health (Staats et al., 2007; Hicks and Heastie, 2008). These stressors make entering into college a potentially vulnerable period for substance use and emotional health problems.
