This study explored college student's perceptions and attitudes towards stimulant misuse. Participants were presented with vignettes describing stimulant misuse and were asked to rate their perceptions of dangerous behavior, academic dishonesty and other similar areas. They then completed scales assessing their past alcohol and drug use, attitudes…

Medication for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is frequently abused and misused alongside alcohol on college campuses. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between participants' alcohol use, mental distress, and academic performance in relation to their illicit use of ADHD medication. An anonymous cross-sectional…

Objective: This study investigated the factors that impact the effectiveness of energy drink-related health messages. Specifically, this study examined how behavioral status moderates the effects of the temporal contexts described in messages related to energy drink consumption. Participants: A total of 823 college students enrolled in a…

The main aim of this paper is to discuss some moral implications of cognitive doping in education. In this context, the term 'cognitive doping' refers to the use of cognitive enhancing drugs--such as Ritalin--among students in order to improve their cognitive functions and educational performance on college exams. Cognitive doping raises not only…

Objective: This study determined the frequency, reasons for, and side effects of energy drinks (ED) consumption among online students. Participants: Students attending an online university. Methods: Participants were recruited by email and completed a 59-question survey about their prior months ED practices using a combination of validated surveys…

Objective: This study examined the prevalence and factors associated with non-medical use of prescription stimulants to promote wakefulness. Participants: We surveyed 3,160 university students aged 18-35 between June 2016 and May 2017. Method: Participants reported whether they used prescription stimulants non-medically to stay awake and completed…

This study tests theories of social learning and strain to explain non-medical prescription drug use (NMPDU) among Latino college students at a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Logistic regression analyses indicate social learning and negative stressors help explain such usage, while refined models suggest that Latinos use of NMPD is primarily…

Objective: To identify academic factors pertaining to college students, calendar timing, and particular moments that are uniquely associated with elevated likelihood of prescription stimulant misuse (intentions and actual behavior) in daily life. Participants: Participants were 297 freshmen and sophomores at a large public university in the United…

Monitoring the Future (MTF) is an ongoing research program conducted at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research under a series of investigator-initiated, competing research grants from the National Institute on Drug Abuse beginning in 1975. The integrated MTF study includes annual surveys of nationally representative samples of…

Research on stimulant misuse among students has been rising. These medicines are generally prescribed to treat ADHD, but they are also used by students to enhance their academic performance. To date, qualitative research on the topic is limited, specifically in understanding the "process" of misuse, i.e. the motivations embedded in a…

Objective: To compare physical activity (PA), sitting time, and substance use pre-COVID-19 and during COVID-19 pandemic among US college students. Participants: 484 students from a large Western university (20.6 ± 1.4 years, 80.0% female) were recruited. Methods: Self-reported online surveys were completed in June-August 2020. T-tests and…

Objective: College students' prescription stimulant and opioid misuse (PSM and POM) share psychosocial risks with other substance use. We sought to extend a prior study of these issues. Methods: National College Health Assessment (2015-2016) participants ages 18-24 years (n = 79,336) reporting 12-month PSM (defined as use of a drug not prescribed…

Qualitative work with students who use prescription medicines for academic purposes is limited. Thus, a more nuanced understanding of tertiary students' experiences is urgently needed. Our study -- which draws on five semi-structured interviews with New Zealand university students, complemented with information from local newspapers, blog entries…

This volume presents new 2021 findings from the U.S. national Monitoring the Future follow-up (panel) study concerning substance use among the nation's college students and adults from ages 19 through 60. We report 2021 prevalence estimates on numerous illicit and licit substances, examine how substance use differs across this age span, and show…

Objective: To explore the relationship between past 30-day nonmedical prescription stimulant use (NPSU) and past 30-day marijuana and/or alcohol use, past 30-day risky marijuana and/or alcohol use, student demographics, and student activity involvement among college students. Participants: Sample of 604 college-aged students at two large…