Perceived academic benefit is associated with nonmedical prescription stimulant use among college students

Arria, Amelia M.; Geisner, Irene M.; Cimini, M. Dolores; Kilmer, Jason R.; Caldeira, Kimberly M.; Barrall, Angelica L.; Vincent, Kathryn B.; Fossos-Wong, Nicole; Yeh, Jih-Cheng; Rhew, Isaac C.; Lee, Christine M.; Subramaniam, Geetha; Liu, David; Larimer, Mary E.

doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2017.07.013

Cited by 63 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 45 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Conversely, full-time students and college graduates had higher stimulant-PDM and stimulant SUD symptom rates. While young adults with higher levels of educational attainment have lower substance use rates (e.g., Grant et al, 2017), the elevated stimulant-PDM in full-time college students here and in Ford and Pomykacz (2016) may result from the predominant studying-related motives (Teter et al, 2006) and perceived academic benefits of stimulant-PDM (Arria et al, 2018). In these subgroups, elevated stimulant-PDM mirrored elevated rates of any stimulant use, with this positive relationship between any use and PDM seen broadly across subgroups and medication classes.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prescription drug use, misuse and related substance use disorder symptoms vary by educational status and attainment in U.S. adolescents and young adults

Schepis

Teter

McCabe

2018

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prescription drug use, misuse and related substance use disorder symptoms vary by educational status and attainment in U.S. adolescents and young adults

Schepis

Teter

McCabe

2018

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The relatively high rates of stimulant misuse among university students have been attributed to various factors such as the desire for a “cognitive enhancer” to help with school work, to lose weight and look better physically, to improve alertness, the positive portrayal of stimulants on the Internet, and perception that stimulants assist in coping with psychological distress (Ford et al, 2014; Looby and Sant'Ana, 2018; Poulin, 2007; Schepis et al, 2008; Wilens et al, 2008; Weyandt et al, 2009). One study of college students found that 28.6% agreed or strongly agreed that the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants could help earn higher grades (Arria et al, 2018). For a review of the multi-faceted reasons for stimulant use on college campuses, see Bavarian et al, 2015…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Nonmedical Use of Stimulants Is Associated With Riskier Sexual Practices and Other Forms of Impulsivity

Grant

Redden

Lust

et al. 2018

Journal of Addiction Medicine

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background:This study sought to examine the occurrence of the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (amphetamines and methylphenidate) in a university sample and their associated physical and mental health correlates, including potential relationships with risky sexual practices.Methods:A 156-item anonymous online survey was distributed via e-mail to a sample of 9449 university students. Current use of alcohol and drugs, psychological and physical status, and academic performance were assessed, along with questionnaire-based measures of impulsivity and compulsivity.Results:A total of 3421 participants (59.7% female) were included in the analysis. 6.7% of the sample reported current/recent nonmedical use of prescription stimulants, while an additional 5.8% reported misuse in the past. Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants was associated with lower grade point averages, and with taking a broad range of other drugs (including alcohol, nicotine, illicit substances, and consumption of caffeinated soft drinks). Nonmedical use of stimulants was also significantly associated with impulsivity (Barratt scale), prior treatment for substance use problems, and elevated occurrence of disordered gambling, post-traumatic stress disorder, and anxiety; but not depression symptoms or binge-eating disorder (though it was associated with using drugs to lose weight). The relationship with probable attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on screening was not significant but was numerically elevated. Finally, those using nonmedical prescribed stimulants were significantly more sexually active (including at a younger age), and were less likely to use barrier contraception.Conclusions:Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants is common in young adults and has profound public health associations including with a profundity of other drug use (licit and illicit), certain mental health diagnoses (especially gambling, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder ), worse scholastic performance, and riskier sexual practices. The majority of people with nonmedical use of prescription stimulants do not have ADHD, and its link with current ADHD symptoms was less marked than for certain other disorders. Clinicians should screen for the misuse of prescription stimulants as they may be associated with a range of problematic behaviors. Risk of diversion (which may be higher for those living in shared accommodation and those with substance use disorder history) merits careful assessment before prescribing stimulant medication.

show abstract

“…This concern takes on reality when we consider the previous finding that psychostimulants not only enhance cognitive performance, but also induce overconfidence in one's own performance [5]. A recent study indicated that approximately 65% of college students who use stimulants believe them to be effective in improving their academic performance [42]. However, the GPA of college students who had never used stimulants increased as the school year proceeded, whereas the grades of the students who started or continued to use stimulants did not improve [43].…”

Section: Continuity Between Pain Relief Pleasure Seeking and Enhancmentioning

confidence: 97%

The polysemy of psychotropic drugs: continuity and overlap between neuroenhancement, treatment, prevention, pain relief, and pleasure-seeking in a clinical setting

Sakakibara

2020

BMC Med Ethics

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Enhancement involves the use of biomedical technologies to improve human capacities beyond therapeutic purposes. It has been well documented that enhancement is sometimes difficult to distinguish from treatment. As a subtype of enhancement, neuroenhancement aims to improve one's cognitive or emotional capacities. Main body: This article proposes that the notion of neuroenhancement deserves special attention among enhancements in general, because apart from the notion of treatment, it also overlaps with other concepts such as prevention, pain relief, and pleasure seeking. Regarding prevention, patients' mental endurance can be enhanced when a patient is prescribed a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor for the purpose of preventing the relapse of depression following a stressful situation. As for pain relief, psychiatrists use medication to alleviate distress in patients who experience various types of anxiety; the alleviation of distress is equal to psychological pain relief, but is also an enhancement of the patient's temperamental traits. Regarding pleasure seeking, insidious transition exists between neuroenhancement and pleasure seeking when using psychotropic drugs. It is well known that people use psychostimulants for recreational purposes and to induce overconfidence in one's performance. The polysemy of psychotropics derives from their effects on human sensibility. Therefore, when using psychotropic agents, psychiatrists should pay close attention to what the agent is used for on each patient in each situation, and explicitly share the continuity and overlap in the purpose of prescribing a medication with the patients to make a better clinical decision. Conclusions: The notion of neuroenhancement overlaps not only with the notion of treatment, but also with other concepts of prevention, pain relief, and pleasure seeking. The continuity between those concepts makes the issues concerning the prescription of psychotropic drugs subtler. Psychiatrists should explicitly share the continuity with the patients to make a better clinical decision.

show abstract

Perceived academic benefit is associated with nonmedical prescription stimulant use among college students

Abstract: The results underscore the need for interventions that simultaneously correct misperceptions related to academic benefit and target alcohol and marijuana use to reduce NPS.

Cited by 63 publications

References 45 publications

Prescription drug use, misuse and related substance use disorder symptoms vary by educational status and attainment in U.S. adolescents and young adults

Prescription drug use, misuse and related substance use disorder symptoms vary by educational status and attainment in U.S. adolescents and young adults

Nonmedical Use of Stimulants Is Associated With Riskier Sexual Practices and Other Forms of Impulsivity

The polysemy of psychotropic drugs: continuity and overlap between neuroenhancement, treatment, prevention, pain relief, and pleasure-seeking in a clinical setting

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About