Title
Non-medical use of prescription stimulants for academic purposes among college students: A test of social learning theory
Abbreviated Journal Title
Drug Alcohol Depend.
Keywords
College; Prescription stimulants; Social learning; ILLICIT USE; DRUG-USE; MEDICATIONS; ADOLESCENTS; PREVALENCE; DIVERSION; DRINKING; MOTIVES; Substance Abuse; Psychiatry
Abstract
Objective: The current research examines whether measures associated with Akers' social learning theory are related to non-medical use of prescription stimulants for academic reasons among college students. Methods: We examine data from a sample of 549 undergraduate students at one public university in the Southeastern United States. We estimate several logistic regression models to test our hypotheses. Results: The findings indicated that roughly 17% of students reported non-medical use of prescription stimulants for academic reasons during the past year. In separate models, all four of the social learning measures were significantly correlated to non-medical use. In the complete model, the risk of non-medical prescription stimulant use for academic reasons was increased for respondents who reported more of their friends used and also for respondents who believed that prescription stimulants were an effective study aid. Conclusions: The current research fills an important gap in the literature regarding theoretical explanations for non-medical prescription stimulant use. Given the high prevalence of non-medical prescription stimulant use and the known risks associated with non-medical use this research can help inform intervention strategies for college populations. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Journal Title
Drug and Alcohol Dependence
Volume
144
Publication Date
1-1-2014
Document Type
Article
Language
English
First Page
279
Last Page
282
WOS Identifier
ISSN
0376-8716
Recommended Citation
"Non-medical use of prescription stimulants for academic purposes among college students: A test of social learning theory" (2014). Faculty Bibliography 2010s. 5325.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/facultybib2010/5325
Comments
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