Attitudes of College Students Toward Mental Illness Stigma and the Misuse of Psychiatric Medications

Stone, Amanda M.; Merlo, Lisa J.

doi:10.4088/jcp.09m05254ecr

Cited by 32 publications

(30 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…, which is higher than the national prevalence of cocaine, hallucinogen, or inhalant use (SAMHSA, 2011), and approximately double the prevalence of prescribed stimulant use (2-3%; Babcock & Byrne, 2000;Stone & Merlo, 2011) in this age group. In considering stimulant abuse, however, it is important to note that not all who use illicitly are qualitatively similar.…”

mentioning

confidence: 80%

Stimulant medication use in college students: Comparison of appropriate users, misusers, and nonusers.

Hartung¹,

Canu²,

Cleveland³

et al. 2013

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

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surprisingly little is known about the efficacy of stimulants in the slightly older emerging adult population. A focus has emerged, however, on illicit stimulant use among undergraduates, with studies suggesting such behavior is not uncommon (e.g., Arria et al., 2013). Unfortunately, details are lacking regarding outcomes and personal characteristics associated with different patterns of stimulant misuse. The current study compares the characteristics of four groups of college students, including those with stimulant prescriptions who use them appropriately (i.e., appropriate users), those who misuse their prescription stimulants (i.e., medical misusers), those who obtain and use stimulants without a prescription (i.e., nonmedical misusers), and those who do not use stimulant medications at all (i.e., nonusers). Undergraduates (N � 1,153) from the Southeastern, Midwest, and Rocky Mountain regions completed online measures evaluating patterns of use, associated motives, side effects, ADHD symptomatology, and other substance use. Both types of misusers (i.e., students who abused their prescriptions and those who obtained stimulants illegally) reported concerning patterns of other and combined substance use, as well as higher prevalence of debilitating side effects such as insomnia and restlessness. Research and practical implications are discussed.

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confidence: 80%

Stimulant medication use in college students: Comparison of appropriate users, misusers, and nonusers.

Hartung¹,

Canu²,

Cleveland³

et al. 2013

Psychology of Addictive Behaviors

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“…1 Many of the 4% to 5% of college students with ADHD 2 receive stimulants, 3 and stimulants are increasingly being diverted to those without a diagnosis of ADHD or a prescription. 4,5 Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neuropsychological functioning in college students who misuse prescription stimulants

et al. 2017

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Background and Objectives Relatively little is known about the neuropsychological profiles of college students who misuse prescription stimulant medications. Methods Data presented are from college students aged 18 to 28 years who misused prescription stimulants prescribed for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and controls (no prescription stimulant misuse). Students were assessed neuropsychologically using the self-report Behavioral Rating Inventory of Executive Functioning (BRIEF-A), the Cambridge Automated Neuropsychological Test and Battery (CANTAB), and other tests of cognitive functioning. The analyses included 198 controls (age 20.7 ± 2.6 years) and 100 prescription stimulant misusers (age 20.7 ± 1.7 years). Results On the BRIEF-A, misusers were more likely than controls to endorse greater dysfunction on 8 of 12 measures including Inhibition, Self Monitor, Initiation, Working Memory, and Plan/Organize, when adjusting for race and sex (all p’s <0.05). Similarly, when dichotomizing the BRIEF-A as abnormal (T score ≥ 65), misusers had more abnormalities on 5 of 9 subscales, as well as all major indices (p’s<0.05). Misusers also performed worse on several subtests of the CANTAB and standardized cognitive battery (p’s <0.05). A proxy of prescription stimulant misuse frequency was positively correlated with greater executive dysfunction on the BRIEF-A. Discussion and Conclusions These data demonstrate elevated risk for neuropsychological dysfunction among students who misuse prescription stimulants compared to non-misusing peers. The presence of ADHD contributed significantly to these cognitive findings. Students who misuse prescription stimulants should be screened for neuropsychological dysfunction. Scientific Significance These data may better elucidate the neuropsychological profile of college-aged prescription stimulant misusers.

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“…Tranquilizers or benzodiazapines are often misused for their therapeutic indication, i.e. anxiety (Fatseas et al, 2009; Rigg & Ibanez, 2010), but also for recreational, “party”, and thrill-seeking behaviors (O’Brien, 2005; Stone & Merlo, 2011; Fatseas et al, 2009). A number of different motives were cited for prescription stimulant misuse such as enhancing academic achievement (Stein, 2012; Arria et al, 2013; Rabiner, Anastopoulos, & Costello, 2009), weight loss (Jeffers, Benotsch, & Koester, 2013), reducing fatigue (White, Becker-Blease, & Grace-Bishop, 2006), or experimentation (McCabe & Cranford, 2012).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Motivations for prescription drug misuse among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in Philadelphia

Kecojevic

Corliss

Lankenau

2015

International Journal of Drug Policy

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Background Prescription drug misuse (i.e. opioids, tranquilizers and stimulants) has become the fastest growing area of substance abuse among young adults. Limited studies focus on prescription drug misuse among young men who have sex with men (YMSM, aged 18–29 years). Furthermore, little is known about YMSM’s motivations for misuse. The purpose of this study was to explore personal motivations for prescription drug misuse among YMSM, including the possible connection between misuse and sexual behaviors. Methods As part of a larger mixed methods study of 191 YMSM recruited in Philadelphia during 2012–2013, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews with 25 of these participants to gather additional contextual information about their prescription drug misuse. We conducted thematic analysis of qualitative data. Results While our results corroborated previous literature on motives for misuse of prescription drugs, our data yielded some distinct motivations specific among YMSM. These motives included social/recreational motives, facilitating sex with other men (including motives such as use of opioids for less painful anal receptive sex), and psychological motives such as depression, stress management, coping with everyday hardships (opioids and tranquilizers) or feeling more energized (stimulants). Prescription drugs were commonly misused within the broader contexts of participants' polysubstance use, adding to the significance of this problem. Conclusions Our findings offer insights into YMSM’s motivations for prescription drug misuse, and point to the importance of recognizing and addressing them. While substance use is likely related to various psychosocial issues impacting YMSM, it also may lead to significant health consequences. Results support the need to include prescription drugs and polysubstance use in harm reduction messages and treatment approaches aimed at substance using YMSM.

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Attitudes of College Students Toward Mental Illness Stigma and the Misuse of Psychiatric Medications

Cited by 32 publications

References 21 publications

Stimulant medication use in college students: Comparison of appropriate users, misusers, and nonusers.

Stimulant medication use in college students: Comparison of appropriate users, misusers, and nonusers.

Neuropsychological functioning in college students who misuse prescription stimulants

Motivations for prescription drug misuse among young men who have sex with men (YMSM) in Philadelphia

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