Health-compromising practices of undergraduate college students: Examining racial/ethnic and gender differences in characteristics of prescription stimulant misuse

Cruz, Sheena; Sumstine, Stephanie; Mendez, Jocelyne; Bavarian, Niloofar

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.01.016

Cited by 12 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…Our findings on the social context of NMUPS was in agreement with the literature 5,18,22 . We found that college students who reported NMUPS were most likely to report misusing alone or with just one or two people, as well as to use at home or at school, consistent with the finding that motives for misuse were most often academic in nature 6 …”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Disentangling the Social Context of Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants in College Students

et al. 2020

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Background and Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the social context of nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) among college students who endorsed NMUPS with co‐occurring substance use disorders (SUD) compared with those without co‐occurring SUDs. Methods Presented here are new analyses based on data previously collected from college students aged 18 to 28 years derived from the Boston metropolitan area who endorsed NMUPS (N = 100) at least once in their lifetime. Differences between those with lifetime history of SUD (N = 46) and without a history of SUD (N = 54) on the Massachusetts General Hospital ADHD Medication Misuse and Diversion Assessment were analyzed using the Student t test, the Pearson χ2 test, and the Wilcoxon rank‐sum test. Results College students who endorsed NMUPS with co‐occurring SUD were more likely than those without SUD to have bought or traded stimulants, bought or traded in their car, used at parties with drugs/alcohol, or used intranasally (all P < .05). Intranasal administration was common (38% of all students endorsing NMUPS) and was associated with misuse at a party and simultaneous use with cocaine (P = .04), marijuana (P < .001), and alcohol (P < .001), compared with only oral use. Discussion and Conclusions Notable characteristics were identified among individuals who engaged in NMUPS in the type, amount, cost, and ascertainment of stimulants. Scientific Significance The concurrence of SUD and/or intranasal administration appear to represent a more severe phenotype of NMUPS that should be considered in the implementation of future prevention and intervention protocols on college campuses. (Am J Addict 2020;29:476–484)

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Disentangling the Social Context of Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants in College Students

et al. 2020

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“…Among young people dexamphetamine is seen as ‘safe’ because it is a pharmaceutical [ 22 ]. However, studies show that the most commonly reported motivation for prescription stimulant use among students is to help them concentrate and focus, and stay awake to complete assignments or study for exams [ 3 , 18 , 23 – 25 ]. Given reported prescription stimulant use among student groups, further information about the motivations for such use is needed to inform Australian policy and practice.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-medical prescription stimulant use to improve academic performance among Australian university students: prevalence and correlates of use

et al. 2018

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BackgroundSome university students consume pharmaceutical stimulants without a medical prescription with the goal of improving their academic performance. The prevalence of this practice has been well documented in the US, but less so in other countries. The potential harms of using prescription stimulants require a better understanding of the prevalence of this practice within Australian universities.MethodsAn internet survey of 1136 Australian students was conducted in 2015 in three large Australian universities. Students were asked about their personal use of prescription stimulants, attitudes and experiences with prescription stimulants. They were also asked about their use of caffeine, energy drinks and illicit drugs to enhance their academic performance.ResultsLifetime self-reported use of stimulant medication to improve academic performance was 6.5, and 4.4% in the past year. Students were far more likely to report using coffee and energy drinks (41.4 and 23.6% respectively, lifetime use) than prescription stimulants to help them study and complete university assessments. Non-medical use of prescription stimulants was strongly associated with a history of illicit drug use.ConclusionThe prevalence of nonmedical prescription stimulant use to improve academic performance is low among university students in Australia, especially when compared with their use of coffee and energy drinks.

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“…In terms of creating tailored NMUPS campaigns, our study mainly focused on addressing the most problematic characteristics of college students' NMUPS activities identified in the literature: (1) not understanding the long-term consequences of NMUPS participation, (2) lack of a clear picture of the severity of these prescription stimulants, and (3) being influenced by the negative social norms surrounding the practice of NMUPS [9,14,38,60,61,91]. The first two approaches, long-term consequences (i.e., the "Working Out" (Advertisement or Ad No.…”

Section: Campaign Developmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Extensive research has observed the detrimental role of NMUPS in damaging college students' academic performance [4] and more alarmingly, students' short-term and long-term health [5][6][7]. Despite control and regulation, college students' NMUPS activities have been on the rise [8][9][10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“Study Natural” without Drugs: An Exploratory Study of Theory-Guided and Tailored Health Campaign Interventions to Prevent Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants in College Students

Mackert

et al. 2020

IJERPH

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Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) among college students continues to rise. While some anti-NMUPS campaigns are available, little is known about the campaign development process and how well college students evaluate these messages. To bridge this gap, we developed theory-guided anti-NMUPS campaign interventions that are tailored to college students’ characteristics and evaluated students’ response towards them. A total of 445 college students (74.4% female; Meanage of 20; 18 to 35 years old) reviewed the campaign interventions and offered their evaluation via an online survey. Findings indicate that students responded to the campaigns positively. Results also indicate that female students are more likely to perceive the campaigns as effective than their male counterparts. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that theory-guided and tailored anti-NMUPS campaigns have great potential in changing students’ attitudes and behavior towards NMUPS. While this study fills critical gaps in the literature, considering the progress needed to strengthen the research field, more research is needed to further identify effective strategies that could prevent college students’ participation in NMUPS activities.

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Health-compromising practices of undergraduate college students: Examining racial/ethnic and gender differences in characteristics of prescription stimulant misuse

Cited by 12 publications

References 29 publications

Disentangling the Social Context of Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants in College Students

Disentangling the Social Context of Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants in College Students

Non-medical prescription stimulant use to improve academic performance among Australian university students: prevalence and correlates of use

“Study Natural” without Drugs: An Exploratory Study of Theory-Guided and Tailored Health Campaign Interventions to Prevent Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants in College Students

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