Co-ed dorms linked to increased drinking, sex

November 25, 2009 (WLS) -- If you are the parent of a college student who lives in a co-ed dorm, you may have a reason to be concerned about what goes on behind closed doors.

A new study suggests those college dorms are encouraging young people to drink heavily and have more sex.


In a survey of more than 500 students at five US universities, researchers found that students living in co-ed housing were nearly 3 times more likely to admit to binge-drinking on a weekly basis than those in single sex dorms. They were also more than twice as likely to say they'd had at least three sex partners in the past year.

Researchers say the link still exists even after taking into consideration religious beliefs and personality traits.

This study is in the Journal of American College Health.

No, we are not surprised. Stanford Univ. even has a Gender-neutral housing policy.