Introduction: Prescription stimulants are an effective FDA approved treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) however their safety has come under scrutiny. Multiple studies demonstrate safe use in pediatric populations, but prescriptions are increasing to adults and it is not evident which comorbidities might place people at…

Previous research suggests that college students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms are at risk for experiencing ruminative thinking. Although research has shown that stimulant medications reduce ADHD symptoms, no research has looked at whether stimulant medication moderates the association between ADHD symptoms and…

The current study examined the efficacy of health warnings on caffeinated energy drinks (CEDs). Participants aged 12-24 years (n = 2040) completed an online survey where they were asked to recall any existing warning statements on CED products and were randomized to one of 29 experimental warning conditions. Regression models were fitted to…

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…

Background: TikTok has become a significant influence on public health perceptions, especially regarding ADHD. With its expansive reach among younger demographics, TikTok content has the potential to shape public understanding and behaviors related to ADHD treatment. This study analyzed how prescription stimulants are depicted on TikTok to assess…

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…

Prescription Drug Misuse (PDM) among college students is a concerning public health issue in the United States. Little research has examined misuse behaviors as they occur in college students' daily lives, limiting our understanding of the context of misuse and real-time misuse predictors. The goal of my dissertation was to better understand PDM…

Objective: Despite community colleges accounting for 34% of all undergraduate enrollment, research on substance-use patterns among community college students is limited. Community college students may engage in substance use differently than their 4-year university counterparts due to differences in psychosocial factors and decreased availability…

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…

A within-subjects experimental design examined differences in functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) assessment of prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation with two virtual reality (VR) drawing conditions (rote tracing and creative self-expression) with and without a fragrance stimulus. Participants were healthy adults and included 18 women, 6…

This undergraduate dissertation project was designed to enhance organic and analytical chemistry skills of final year forensic science students. A modified Birch reaction method was employed to synthesize amphetamine from ephedrine and detect the most known byproduct of clandestine manufacture of amphetamines, e.g.,…

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…

Objective: Compared to nonaffiliated students, Greek students engage in higher rates of prescription drug abuse (PDA). We examined PDA among Greek students compared to non-Greek students, and whether PDA in high school predicted joining a Greek organization in college. Participants: From November to December 2014, 509 undergraduate students at a…

Monitoring the Future (MTF) is designed to give such attention to substance use among the nation's youth and adults. It is an investigator-initiated study that originated with, and is conducted by, teams of research professors at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research. MTF contains ongoing national surveys of both adolescents…