How a college roommate can affect your child

March 3, 2014

Janis Whitlock

Certain habits and traits of a young adult's college roommate may affect their own behavior. Dr. Janis Whitlock, director of the Cornell Research Program on Self-Injury and Recovery, was quoted in a recent post on the New York Times' Well blog on this subject. Recent studies from various fields have examined such "peer effects" on behaviors such as drinking, drug use, gambling, and eating. But, as Whitlock points out, a child's roommate may also be the first person to realize that something is wrong:

“In a lot of cases it’s a friend, a roommate, a peer, who noticed first and made the choice to tell an adult,” she said. Their roommates often feel anger and resentment about being found out, she added, “but in all cases, they’re grateful in the long run.”

How a college roommate can affect your child - New York Times