Multiple factors fuel prescription drug misuse. Among college students, recreational and nonmedical motivations remain common; therefore, recent research has categorized misusers not into a single group, but has differentiated them based on motives in an effort to improve prevention and intervention approaches. A recent study expanded on these efforts by examining prescription drug misuse in two parts: part 1 consisted of categorizing college misusers into distinct user typologies based on their motivation for misuse; part 2 consisted of examining how risk factors such as peer relations, social control, and mental health differed based on the user typology. Study participants included undergraduates enrolled in select classes at a university (n=841). Participants completed a written survey in class where they were asked to self-report prescription drug misuse, substance use in general, as well as personal, social, and environmental experiences related to college life. Among study participants, 24.4% misused a prescription drug in the past semester, with instrumental or nonmedical reasons motivating the majority of misusers (Instrumental motives 77.3%; Mixed recreational motives 22.7%). When examining risk factors based on user typologies, mixed/recreational misusers were significantly more likely to use other substances compared with instrumental misusers. In addition, instrumental misusers were significantly more likely to have a higher percentage of friends that misused as well as perceive more positive experiences associated with misuse compared with nonusers.
Take Away: This study categorized college students as nonusers, instrumental misusers, and mixed/recreational misusers of prescription drugs according to their motives. The majority of college students did not misuse prescription drugs. Of those that did misuse, instrumental or nonmedical reasons primarily motivated their misuse, and multiple risk factors separated misusers from nonusers. Findings add to existing research that suggest a “one size fits all” prevention or intervention approach is not ideal; instead, strategies that target specific motivational typologies may be more effective.