Barriers and facilitators to recovery among college students without access to a collegiate recovery program

Undergraduate students pursuing substance use recovery face multiple barriers, including widespread substance use on campus, stigma, and limited support. A small number of campuses have collegiate recovery programs to support students. Most students in recovery lack access to such programming, and little research has explored their experiences. This study, framed by the recovery capital perspective, utilized thematic analysis to illuminate students’ experiences in recovery without a collegiate recovery program on a Midwestern US campus. Seventeen students participated in semi-structured interviews. We sought to understand the barriers to recovery these students faced and how students overcame them. Barriers exemplified limited or negative recovery capital. Students described substance use and mental health challenges, being overwhelmed with responsibilities, feeling isolated, and negative twelve-step group experiences. Students gained personal recovery capital by mobilizing personal strengths, coping, and self-care strategies. To build family/social capital, they engaged various supports (e.g. mutual aid or activist groups). Community capital was limited to campus counseling services or supportive professors. Notably, not all students chose abstinence. This study augments the literature about how students in recovery overcome barriers without a collegiate recovery program. Universities should offer services to accommodate the range of recovery preferences and experiences.

追求物质成瘾康复的本科生面临多重阻碍，包括校园内普遍存在的物质滥用现象、污名化以及支持资源匮乏。仅有少数高校开设了大学康复项目（collegiate recovery programs）以支持此类学生，但多数康复学生无法获取这类项目资源，且目前针对该群体经历的研究寥寥无几。本研究以康复资本视角（recovery capital perspective）为理论框架，采用主题分析法，对美国中西部某高校内未获得大学康复项目支持的康复本科生的经历进行了阐释。共有17名学生参与了半结构化访谈，本研究旨在探究这些学生在康复过程中面临的阻碍，以及他们应对阻碍的方式。阻碍主要体现为康复资本不足或负面康复资本。学生们自述了物质滥用与心理健康层面的困境、学业与生活责任带来的超负荷压力、社交孤立感，以及参与十二步互助小组（twelve-step group）的负面体验。学生们通过调动个人优势、运用应对策略与自我关怀手段，积累了个人康复资本。为构建家庭与社会康复资本，他们寻求各类支持资源，例如互助团体或行动主义社群（mutual aid or activist groups）。其可获取的社区康复资本仅局限于校园心理咨询服务，以及给予支持的授课教师。值得注意的是，并非所有学生都选择完全戒断。本研究丰富了针对无大学康复项目支持的康复学生如何克服阻碍的相关研究文献。高校应提供多元化服务，以适配不同学生的康复偏好与经历。