General Strain Theory: How Stress In College Students Influences Alcohol And Marijuana Use

College is the time for individuals to explore themselves and who they are as independent people; however, it is not always filled with positive experiences. It is a new environment with different people, exciting opportunities, and potentially unfamiliar stressors. These stressors in their lives, such as stress from academics, relationships, and finances, could lead them to use substances such as alcohol and marijuana. College-aged students are also more likely to suffer from symptoms of depression which is closely linked to substance abuse (Walker & McNulty, 2021). It is important to examine the use of substances among college students to get a better understanding of how to target that population in order to decrease the levels at which substances are consumed. This study will examine this topic within the realm of the General Strain Theory and examine how and why students self-medicate from strain in their lives with various substances.