The Washington State Health Care Authority has provided funding to disseminate a parent/caregiver handbook (Letting Go and Staying Connected, developed as part of our First Years Away from Home randomized controlled trial) to universities across the state. So far, the handbook has been disseminated to incoming students at 10 universities in Washington in the 2023-2025 academic years, with additional dissemination planned for summer 2026.
The handbook, developed collaboratively by WSU and UW researchers, provides general guidance on how parents/caregivers can support their students’ growing autonomy while communicating clear expectations and remaining connected. Although the handbook isn’t specifically about risk behaviors, our NIH-funded trial showed that students whose parents/caregivers received the handbook were significantly less likely to use alcohol and cannabis in their first and second years of college.
For additional information about the handbook or to request a copy, please reach out to clara.hill@wsu.edu.