Short communicationA survey of nonmedical use of tranquilizers, stimulants, and pain relievers among college students: Patterns of use among users and factors related to abstinence in non-users
Introduction
Many studies have looked at usage, motives, and risks of non-medical prescription drug use among young adults, specifically undergraduates. The 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2013) examined the use of psychotherapeutic drugs among 18–25 year olds, and past month usage was 5.1%. Studies show the rate of non-medical prescription drug use varies among college students (Garnier-Dykstra et al., 2012, McCabe, 2008, McCabe et al., 2005a, McCabe et al., 2005c, McCabe and Teter, 2007, Teter et al., 2006, White et al., 2006). More research that quantifies non-medical use of prescription drugs on the college campus is necessary, especially given the reported epidemic rates of use/abuse.
College students report using pain relievers, stimulants, and tranquilizers for various non-medical purposes. College students frequently use pain relievers (including hydrocodone products like Vicodin and codeine, and oxycodone products such as OxyContin and Percodan; Wu et al., 2008). Furthermore, stimulants are commonly used as study aids and to increase concentration (Burgard et al., 2013, Garnier-Dykstra et al., 2012, Hanson et al., 2013, Rozenbroeck and Rothstein, 2011, Teter et al., 2006). Lastly, tranquilizers are often used to amplify the high of another drug or offset its unfavorable effects (O’Brien, 2005).
The current study examines use of non-medical prescription drugs among college students at Skidmore College, a small private liberal arts college in the Capital District of New York (190 miles north of New York City). We sent nearly 900 undergraduates an online survey that assessed non-medical use of stimulants, pain relievers, and anti-anxiety medication (tranquilizers), including the frequency of and motivations for use, routes of administration, and perceived emotional/physical risks of use. We also assessed non-users’ perceptions of these drugs, why they abstain from use, and whether or not they perceive these drugs to be harmful to one's physical and mental health. We also asked user and non-user groups about polydrug use.
Section snippets
Participants
Participants were students at Skidmore College (∼2600 undergraduates). A random sample of one third of students from each class year was contacted through email, and the survey was emailed a week before classes ended for the semester. A total of 303 students gave consent; 93 were male, 200 female, 2 other, and 8 did not indicate their gender. There were 74 first-years, 68 sophomores, 85 juniors, 67 seniors, and 9 who did not indicate their class year.
Survey
The survey was created using Surveymonkey,
Demographics
A total of 303 students consented to participate in this survey. One hundred and ten students (36.8%) indicated that they had used prescription drugs non-medically. Of these, 58.6% were female and 41.4% were male. Ages ranged from 18 to 22; 11.7% were first-years, 24.3% sophomores, 34.2% juniors, and 29.7% seniors. There were 189 students (25.4% male, 73.4% female, and 1.2% other) who reported never using prescription drugs non-medically. Ages ranged from 18 to 23; 33.3% were first-years, 22.4%
Discussion
We found that 36.8% of the 303 undergraduates in our survey reported lifetime use of prescription drugs for non-medical purposes, and that usage peaked during their junior year of college. Overall, we found that the most commonly used prescription drugs were stimulants, and the most commonly used stimulant was Adderall (amphetamine/dextroamphetamine). Stimulants were mostly used when studying for final exams, midterms, and regular exams. However, evidence of cognitive enhancement from stimulant
Role of funding source
Nothing declared.
Contributors
Author Robert M. Hallock administered the survey, compiled the data, revised multiple versions of sections from other authors and wrote remaining portions of the manuscript.
Author Sara A. Brandt did initial literature review, designed portions of the survey, input portions of the survey into Surveymonkey, wrote the introduction and the discussion sections, and a portion of the results section.
Author Elise C. Taverna did initial literature review, designed portions of the survey, input portions
Conflict of interest statement
The authors report no conflicts of interest.
Acknowledgement
The authors sincerely thank Kris Banowetz for critical feedback that improved the quality of the paper.
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All authors contributed equally.