Publication Date

2022

Document Type

Book

Description

"Misinformation regarding the effects of illicit ADHD medication use is common among college-aged students, with about 25.5% of our survey respondents using such drugs without a prescription. There are many theoretical models that conceptualize effective methods for changing health behavior in student populations. The Health Belief Model focuses on perceived benefits and perceived barriers to changing one’s maladaptive health behavior (Champion & Skinner, 2008). Additionally, the transtheoretical model emphasizes designing interventions tailored to individuals’ current motivation level (precontemplation, contemplation, action, etc.) (Prochaska & Velicer, 1997). There are few studies that investigate possible interventions for curbing study drug use in college populations. This study has collected survey responses from 761 undergraduate students. The survey has gathered data on participants’ self-reported dietary patterns, mental and physical health, ADHD medication use, and perceptions regarding illicit study drug use. Data collection is ongoing and utilizes a Google Survey, with responses to be analyzed using Pearson’s Correlation Coefficient in SPSS, Version 25.0. Thus far, our data has indicated that the most effective means by which to dissuade the use of study drugs among students include “real-life stories of lives affected by abuse of Adderall” (38.8%) and education on “negative physiological and psychological effects” (37.5%). Importantly, 74.2% of respondents indicated that they have never sought out information regarding the risk factors of ADHD medications. The results of this study can inform how information on illicit drug use can be presented to at-risk groups to increase the likelihood of positive behavior change.

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Reversing the Trend of Study Drug Use in College Students

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