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College students experience a myriad of stressors in their daily lives. These stressors are associated with negative outcomes for students, both to their academics and well-being. Healthy, effective coping strategies may support students in navigating personal distress. One of the primary aspects of counselling is to help clients develop and apply such strategies. This study aimed to identify intrapersonal factors that predict types of coping strategies. Participants (N = 416) identified as undergraduate college students attending a large public university in the southwestern United States. Results indicated that a problem-focused engagement coping strategy was associated with maladaptive factors such as shame and personal distress. Additionally, a problem-focused engagement coping strategy was predicted by potentially more helpful intrapersonal characteristics including guilt (as a motivator) and two dimensions of empathy. Finally, mean comparisons indicated statistically significant differences between identified gender and coping strategies. Implications for college counsellors are discussed.

This study aimed to explore the effects of mattering, social media addiction, online activity, school connectedness, age, and gender on anxiety/depressive symptomatology among U.S. adolescents. A nationally representative Qualtrics panel sample consisting of 441 adolescents (M[subscript age] = 17.3; SD[subscript age] = 1.67) participated in this study. The results of a three-step hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that gender, social media usage, and mattering were most strongly associated with adolescent distress (i.e., anxiety/depressive symptom reporting). For the full predictive model with all six predictors added, mattering was found to significantly improve the prediction of adolescents' anxiety/depressive symptomatology, contributing an additional 12.8% of explained variance. For this sample, adolescent girls participants reported experiencing more anxiety/depressive symptoms. Furthermore, higher levels of social media usage, indicative of an addictive stage, and lower levels of mattering were related to more significant anxiety/depressive symptomatology. Overall, mattering was found to significantly correlate with adolescent distress, online activity, problematic social media usage, and school connectedness, evidencing its importance in addressing adolescent mental health.

To better inform school counseling programming and practice, we assessed trends related to pornography use and sexting behaviors among adolescents. Approximately 53% of the sample had seen pornography, with an average age of 11.5 years old at first exposure. Almost 15% of adolescents had sent a sext and 24.3% had received a sext. The correlation between pornography use and sending a sext was significant. We discuss gender and racial differences and implications for school counselors.

Given the potential negative effects of vicarious racism, we sought to examine the impact of vicarious racism via the media on college students of color. Using a sample of 217 college students of color, we analyzed positive and negative affect and craving for alcohol and marijuana before and after exposure to media stimuli. Split-plot analysis of variance results revealed a statistically significant interaction effect between time and group for negative affect, but not cravings for substances.

This study explored the relationship between childhood trauma and sex addiction among a sample of adult men (N = 149). Thirty‐eight (25.5%) men screened positive for sex addiction, whereas 111 (74.5%) did not. Using descriptive discriminant analysis, we found that four subscales of early trauma predicted risk of sex addiction group membership to varying degrees, accounting for 22.3% of the variance explained. Sexual and emotional abuse accounted for the most variance explained in the group differences, whereas physical abuse and, to a lesser extent, general trauma also contributed to the group differences. Implications of the study findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we examined predictors of traditional‐aged undergraduate students' (n = 115) lifetime cannabis use during COVID‐19. Participants who had lower scores of self‐regulation, higher levels of emotional dysregulation strategies, and a higher number of ACEs had more lifetime cannabis use. Additionally, participants' methods of cannabis use changed during the pandemic as they primarily ingested more cannabis products (i.e., edibles) compared with before the pandemic began. Finally, the number of participants using cannabis in group settings during the pandemic was lower compared with before the pandemic began. Implications for counselors and counselor education programs are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have found prevalence rates of sex addiction to be higher among college students than among members of the general population. Furthermore, college counselors report working with sex addiction in college and university counseling centers. To date, however, there is no short screening tool to quickly assess the possibility of a sexual addiction. Accordingly, the authors developed a 6-item short screen (BODIES) of sexual addiction. The authors also discuss implications for college counselors.

Given the prevalence of sex addiction (SA) among collegiate populations, the authors designed this study to examine college counselors' training in SA, use of formal assessments, and referrals to support groups. Results indicated that 84.4% of college counselors (N = 77) had at least one client present with SA-related issues in the past year. Findings suggest the need for improvement in counselor training in SA, use of formal assessments, and referral practices.

Misuse of stimulant medication is pervasive among college students. In this study, we surveyed undergraduate college students (N = 3,038) at a large-sized Southwestern university. We examined unique characteristics of students misusing stimulant medication with a prescription (n = 74) and those misusing without a prescription (n = 356). Both groups reported being motivated to use for study enhancement purposes and increased alertness. They identified sleeplessness, racing heart, and racing thoughts as the most common side effects, and often used concurrently with alcohol and marijuana.

Previous researchers have established the relationship between substance abuse and shame and religiosity/spirituality and shame. This study investigated the associations among shame, religiosity, spirituality, and drinking behavior in a college student sample (N = 310). Participants classified as hazardous drinkers reported higher levels of shame associated with drinking behavior. Elements of religiosity and spirituality significantly explained state shame among hazardous drinkers. Implications for college counselors are presented.

Trauma is prevalent among clients with substance abuse issues, yet addictions counselors' training in trauma approaches is limited. The purpose of the current article is to provide pertinent information regarding trauma treatment including the use of assessments, empirically supported clinical approaches, self-help groups and the risk of vicarious trauma. Additionally, we present the results of a study exploring trauma prevalence rates and gender differences among a sample of 121 adults in outpatient substance abuse treatment. Our findings indicated that 85.12% of the sample experienced at least one traumatic event in her or his lifetime. We also found significant gender differences in that more women reported experiencing sexual abuse and more men reported witnessing violence.

Substance abuse continues to be prevalent on college campuses. This study explored the relationships between social interest, social bonding, and hazardous drinking and marijuana use among college students. Results indicate that the social bonding elements of religious commitment, respect for authority, and acceptance of conventional beliefs, along with social interest, significantly differ between groups of students engaged in hazardous drinking and marijuana use.

Spiritual bypass is the avoidance of underlying emotional issues by focusing solely on spiritual beliefs, practices, and experiences. Motivational interviewing (MI) is a client-centered, compassionate approach to effectively addressing resistance among those who present with spiritual bypass. In this article, the authors provide background information on spiritual bypass and a rationale for adopting an MI approach to working with these clients. A case presentation illustrates 1 example of using MI with spiritual bypass.

Using the breath as a vehicle for accessing psychological material is a topic rarely discussed in the counseling literature, despite the use of conscious engagement with the breath by many spiritual traditions for the purpose of personal transformation. This article describes 3 types of conscious breathing (circular breathing, conscious connected breathing, and fast and full breathing) and the use of therapeutic breathwork within the counseling process. The authors describe the many facets of the breathwork experience, provide a case study, and address clinical considerations when engaging in breathwork with clients.

Behavioral addictions such as social media addiction and internet gaming disorder are prevalent among adolescent populations. Although studies have investigated predictors of these addictive behaviors with international samples of adolescents, less is known about American adolescents. In this study, we investigated the predictive nature of emotion regulation after controlling for age, gender, and race with regard to social media addiction and internet gaming disorder severity. Results indicate that gender and emotion regulation significantly predicted both forms of behavioral addictions with small to moderate effects. Specifically, female gender and lower emotion regulation significantly predicted social media addiction and male gender and lower emotion regulation significantly predicted internet gaming disorder severity. Implications for mental health professionals are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers have placed a necessary focus on the mental health and substance use needs of U.S. military populations. In the present study, we examined a sequential regression model in which psychological, emotional, and spiritual factors predicted hazardous drinking and internet gaming severity in a national sample of 207 with military identities. Results indicated that posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, shame, and negative religious coping predicted hazardous alcohol use. Additionally, religious and spiritual struggles predicted higher internet gaming severity. Future research is needed to better contextualize combat era demographics and mental health risk and protective factors associated with alcohol use and internet gaming among military populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a quasi‐experimental, cross‐sectional design, we examined coping differences among American adolescents who reported a history of nonsuicidal self‐injury (NSSI; n = 90, 25.7%) and those without a history of NSSI (n = 260, 74.3%). Findings from a profile analysis indicated that a measurable difference in coping profiles may exist between those with a history of NSSI and those without a history of NSSI. Specifically, adolescents who have a history of NSSI appear to rely upon, at higher rates, maladaptive methods of coping, including acting out and rumination, in comparison to adolescents who have never engaged in NSSI, who appear to rely upon adaptive methods of coping, including distraction and self‐care, at higher rates. No meaningful difference was apparent between groups on seeking social support as a method of coping. These findings confirm the importance of assessing and enhancing effective coping strategies among adolescent clients who self‐injure and potentially utilizing coping skill enhancement strategies as a form of NSSI prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study combined suicide, acculturation, and identity change frameworks to predict the likelihood of suicidality endorsement among collegiate international students. Participants included 179 undergraduate and graduate international students enrolled at a large Southern university. Ultimately, depression, perceived burdensomeness, and ethnic identity significantly predicted suicidality endorsement after controlling for age, time spent in the United States, gender, and alcohol consumption. Acculturation stress and thwarted belongingness did not statistically significantly predict suicidality endorsement. We offer implications for academic communities and future research surrounding international students and suicide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding counseling students' preferences, competence, and perceived training related to presenting concerns is important information for counselor training programs. Given the association between poverty and mental health concerns, we compared counseling students' reactions to presenting concerns often linked to poverty (e.g., financial concerns/assistance) to their reactions toward other clinical issues (e.g., gender identity development). Students' provided ratings of clinical preference for working with various presenting concerns, and concerns that may be prevalent among clients living in poverty ranked last. Additionally, we utilized a repeated measure design to examine differences in students' perceived competence and perceived training across four case vignettes depicting various presenting concerns. Our findings revealed that counseling students felt most competent and most trained to address self-growth issues as compared to poverty, substance use, or Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This introduction to the special issue of the Journal of Counseling & Development highlights the uniqueness of counseling research and emphasizes exciting opportunities for counseling professionals to contribute to existing literature in meaningful ways. To support and motivate counseling researchers, we have collected an array of articles from expert authors who introduce, explain, and exemplify both conventional and innovative research methods to best prepare counseling professionals for rigorous scholarship. Research practices are continuously evolving and improving; thus, the aim of this special issue is to provide current information regarding research methods and unique considerations to inspire counseling scholars to creatively conduct research projects that are sound, innovative, and consequential to both the counseling profession and society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]