Studies of this kind provide a unique opportunity to uncover the genetic and environmental underpinnings of behavioral health outcomes. Smaller studies of college students have formed the foundation of much of the evidence base of the psychological literature. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in genetics by psychologists and other social scientists, as it has become widely recognized that most human behavior is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors. Most of these studies have had small sample sizes and are likely underpowered to examine genetic effects (Duncan and Keller, 2011). Expanding the way we think about working with college students to develop more wide-reaching, larger studies may be the next step in taking college research to new levels. With increasingly large samples needed for genetic studies, working with college populations may provide an opportunity to considerably advance our understanding of how genetic and environmental influences impact behavioral health. If our efforts could be duplicated and expanded at other universities to create a series of projects of this sort, it could hold considerable promise for obtaining the very large numbers of subjects necessary to critically advance our understanding of genetic pathways.
