First secondhand smoke, now secondhand harm from drinking
Researchers administered an online survey to 1,537 first-year Canadian undergraduates (two-thirds of whom were women) during 2015. Problematic alcohol use was measured by the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and personality was measured by the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS). The 11 secondhand-harm choices given to students ranged from "interrupted your studies" to "sexually harassed/insulted you." The prevalence of secondhand harm from alcohol was high among undergraduates. There were three distinct but related types of harm: "strains" such as interruption of sleep or study (68%), "threats" such as harassment or assault (44%), and "interpersonal harm" such as arguments with peers (64%). Thirty-five percent of students reported experiencing all three types of harm in the last term. All four personality dimensions were associated with greater secondhand-harm exposure, albeit through different mechanisms. ...