The Use of Abusable Prescription Drugs: The Role of Gender

Simoni, Jane M.

doi:10.1089/152460900318470

Cited by 161 publications

(130 citation statements)

References 32 publications

(59 reference statements)

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“…For example, the lifetime prevalence of medical use of prescription stimulants for ADHD was 6.0% in the present study; this is similar to data that suggest 5.0% of youth aged 5 to 17 years in the state of Michigan [23] and 4.3% of U.S. youth between 4 and 17 years of age are prescribed stimulant medication [25]. The gender differences in medical use of prescription drugs resembled national patterns [7,11,26]; adolescent girls were more likely to report medical use of prescription opioids, sedative/anxiety medication, and sleeping medication. We also found boys were more likely to report medical use of prescription stimulants for ADHD, but the difference was not statistically significant.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Medical and Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs among Secondary School Students

McCabe

Boyd

Young

2007

Journal of Adolescent Health

163

162

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Purpose-The main objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of medical and nonmedical use of four categories of prescription drugs (opioid, stimulant, sleeping, and sedative/anxiety medication) in a racially diverse sample of secondary public school students in the Detroit metropolitan area. A secondary objective was to examine the association between the use of four categories of prescription medications and illicit drug use and probable drug abuse.Methods-In 2005, a Web-based survey was self-administered by 1086 secondary school students in grades seven through 12.Results-The sample consisted of 54% female, 52% White, 45% African American, and 3% from other racial categories. Forty-eight percent of the sample reported no lifetime use of four categories of prescription drugs (nonusers), 31.5% reported medically prescribed use only (medical users), 17.5% reported both medical and nonmedical use (medical/nonmedical users) and 3.3% reported nonmedical use only (nonmedical users). Multivariate analyses indicated that medical/nonmedical users and nonmedical users were significantly more likely than nonusers to report illicit drug use and probable drug abuse. Medical users generally reported similar or increased odds of illicit drug use and probable drug abuse than non-users.Conclusions-These findings provide evidence that nonmedical use of prescription drugs represents a problem behavior among secondary school students. KeywordsPrescription drugs; Epidemiology; Drug abuse; Adolescents; Survey research; School-based researchThe medical and nonmedical use of prescription drugs such as benzodiazepines, opioid analgesics, and stimulants has increased among adolescents and young adults in the United States during the past decade [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11]. According to the Monitoring the Future Study (MTF), the nonmedical use of several prescription medications by 12th graders in the United States is at its highest level in the past 15 years [1,2]. Because prescription drugs are necessary for the treatment of many pediatric disorders including anxiety, sleep, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), any examination of the nonmedical use and abuse of prescription drugs should occur within the larger context of proper medical use. With appropriate medical use considered, there are at least three studies that have examined In 2001, Poulin reported on a sample of secondary school students and found that nonmedical use of prescription stimulants was directly correlated to the number of prescription users in a particular school class who reported giving away their stimulant medication [14]. Although there were some limitations in the measures used by Poulin, the investigation represented one of the first attempts to examine medical and nonmedical use of prescription stimulants at the school class level [14]. In two subsequent studies, McCabe and colleagues reported that secondary school students who properly use prescription stimulant or pain medications were not at greater risk for subst...

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 87%

Medical and Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs among Secondary School Students

McCabe

Boyd

Young

2007

Journal of Adolescent Health

163

162

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“…In the present study, the higher rates of nonmedical prescription benzodiazepine anxiolytic use found among White college students as compared to African American college students paralleled racial differences found in nonmedical use among U.S. high school seniors (Johnston et al, 2003b) and the racial differences found in prescription rates for benzodiazepine anxiolytics (Simoni-Wastila, 2000). Finally, the lower nonmedical prescription benzodiazepine anxiolytic use at historically black colleges and universities found in the present study was consistent with past research that showed lower rates of alcohol and other drug use at HBCUs relative to non-HBCUs (Meilman et al, 1995).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 65%

Correlates of nonmedical use of prescription benzodiazepine anxiolytics: results from a national survey of U.S. college students

McCabe

2005

Drug and Alcohol Dependence

113

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This study examined the prevalence and correlates associated with the nonmedical use of prescription benzodiazepine anxiolytics among U.S. college students. This study analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 10,904 randomly selected students attending 119, 4-year U.S. colleges in 2001. The lifetime prevalence of nonmedical prescription benzodiazepine anxiolytic use was 7.8%, past year prevalence was 4.5% and past month was 1.6%. Past year rates of nonmedical use of prescription anxiolytics ranged from zero percent at the lowest use schools to 20% at the highest use school. Multivariate regression analyses indicated nonmedical use was more likely to occur among college students who were White, had both male and female sex partners and reported higher rates of substance use and other risky behaviors. In addition, nonmedical use of prescription benzodiazepine anxiolytics was less likely to occur among college students who attended college in the North Central region of the U.S. or historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). This study provides evidence that the nonmedical use of prescription benzodiazepine anxiolytics represents a problem on some college campuses and among certain subgroups of U.S. college students. These findings have important implications for developing prevention efforts aimed at reducing the nonmedical use of prescription benzodiazepine anxiolytics among college students while not hindering the effective clinical treatment for various anxiety disorders.

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“…Research indicates that physicians are more likely to interpret men's symptoms as organic and women's as psychosocial [24,25], and female patients are assigned more nonspecific symptom diagnoses [20,26]. Women are also prescribed more psychoactive drugs than men [27,28].…”

Section: Gender Bias In Clinical Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

Gender Bias in Medicine

Hamberg

2008

Womens Health (Lond Engl)

246

146

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Gender bias has implications in the treatment of both male and female patients and it is important to take into consideration in most fields of medical research, clinical practice and education. Gender blindness and stereotyped preconceptions about men and women are identified as key causes to gender bias. However, exaggeration of observed sex and gender differences can also lead to bias. This article will examine the phenomenon of gender bias in medicine, present useful concepts and models for the understanding of bias, and outline areas of interest for further research. Research has shown that different biological processes, anatomies, conditions in daily life, environmental experiences, risk behaviors and responses to stressful events, may all contribute to variation in health and disease in men and women [1-5]. There is also evidence that women, for no apparent medical reason, are not offered the same treatment as men, a phenomenon that raises the question of gender bias. Many studies, for example, show that women are less likely than men to receive more advanced diagnostic and therapeutic interventions [6-11]. The word bias means 'prejudice' or 'distortion' and is a threatening phenomenon in all kinds of research and human activity. When we talk about gender bias in medicine we usually either mean an unintended, but systematic neglect of either women or men, stereotyped preconceptions about the health, behavior, experiences, needs, wishes and so on, of men and women, or neglect of gender issues relevant to the topic of interest. Gender bias has implications in treatment of both male and female patients and it is important to take into consideration in most fields of medical research, clinical practice and education. Gender bias is also a relevant issue in the discussion of clinical and academic advancements and careers [12]; however, that aspect is not the focus of this article. Since there is confusion in medicine about the use of the concept of gender [13], my use of the term is presented below.

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The Use of Abusable Prescription Drugs: The Role of Gender

Cited by 161 publications

References 32 publications

Medical and Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs among Secondary School Students

Medical and Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs among Secondary School Students

Correlates of nonmedical use of prescription benzodiazepine anxiolytics: results from a national survey of U.S. college students

Gender Bias in Medicine

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