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College Students' Perceptions of Prescription and Non-Prescription Drug Use

Gallagher, Lisa A
http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2944-9744
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier152811430792606

Abstract Details

2018, Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.), Xavier University, Psychology.
Nonmedical use of prescription stimulants is increasingly common among college students (Schulenberg, Johnston, O’Malley, Bachman, Miech, & Patrick, 2017). Research into the motives behind this behavior indicates that students most often use prescription stimulants to enhance academic performance in response to academic stress, although there is little empirical data to suggest that using stimulants leads to positive academic outcomes. Factors that appear to perpetuate prescription stimulant use on college campuses include low perceived risk and high social acceptability associated with using diverted stimulants to improve academic functioning. The current study used experimental and self-report methods to compare perceptions stimulant use for academic purposes to other types of drug use for utilitarian and recreational purposes in a sample (N = 243 ; 79% Caucasian; 65.4% women) of college students. In general, approval of all forms of drug use, with the exception of recreational marijuana and alcohol use, was low. Consistent with hypotheses, results indicated that college students rated a peer who used Adderall for academic purposes significantly more favorably than a peer who used Adderall, Vicodin, or marijuana for recreation. However, overall social acceptability ratings for all types of diverted prescription drug use were low. This suggests that although students view using prescription stimulants as a study aid more favorably than other types of drug use, they still do believe that this is a socially unacceptable behavior.
Susan Kenford, Ph.D. (Advisor)
59 p.
Psychology
Prescription drug use, stimulants, Adderall, NMPDM, non-prescription drug use, diverted prescription use, college students, non medical prescription drug misuse, perceptions of drug use, substance misuse

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Gallagher, L. A. (2018). College Students' Perceptions of Prescription and Non-Prescription Drug Use [Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier152811430792606

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Gallagher, Lisa. College Students' Perceptions of Prescription and Non-Prescription Drug Use. 2018. Xavier University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier152811430792606.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Gallagher, Lisa. "College Students' Perceptions of Prescription and Non-Prescription Drug Use." Doctoral dissertation, Xavier University, 2018. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=xavier152811430792606

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

xavier152811430792606
229
© 2018, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by Xavier University Psychology and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12