Completing college can be difficult and students who are first-generation (FG) or low-income (LI) or both (FGLI) encounter unique structural challenges. We conducted a population-based survey (N=1671) at two interconnected highly-selective institutions of higher education and examined measures related to belonging, mental health, and well-being. Means and standard deviations for continuous measures and proportions for categorical measures were calculated for the whole sample and for each subgroup (FG, LI, FGLI). After adjusting for age and race/ethnicity, differences in these measures between each group (FG vs not FG, LI vs not LI, and FGLI vs not FGLI) were tested with linear and logistic regression models (multinomial logistic regression was used where applicable). We found the overall sample (including FG, LI, and FGLI students) reported a strong sense of belonging, low levels of mental health symptoms, and good general health and well-being - though a majority had poor or fair sleep. Yet, FG, LI, and FGLI students reported lower levels of belonging, worse mental health, and poorer general health and well-being compared to students who were not FG, LI, and FGLI, respectively. Notably, FG, LI, and FGLI students had the lowest levels of hazardous alcohol consumption. This is one of the few studies to consider in detail how FG, LI, and FGLI students are experiencing challenges across multiple domains. Colleges must address these disparities and tailor health services and interventions to serve the unique needs of FG, LI, and FGLI students.
This study examines alcohol and cannabis use within emerging adults' committed romantic relationships and its association with relationship functioning (satisfaction, stability) and well-being (life satisfaction, anxiety, depression). Participants completed surveys in 2020 and 2021 (N=1,214). Latent profile analysis identified four classes of couples' substance use patterns: concordant (similar) infrequent use (81.9% of sample), near-daily partner cannabis use (6.0%), near-daily respondent cannabis use (6.5%), and concordant moderate alcohol and near-daily cannabis use (5.5%). Cross-sectionally, respondents who reported concordant infrequent use had significantly higher well-being than those who reported concordant heavier use; there were no class differences involving the two types of discordant couples. In general, class membership did not predict changes in well-being or relationship functioning over a one-year period. Results provide new insights into patterns of both alcohol and cannabis use within committed romantic relationships of emerging adults that may have implications for well-being during this developmental period.

