Prescription stimulant misuse has increased drastically on university campuses in the past 20 years. Eight percent of college students report prescription stimulant misuse in the past year, while 17% report prescription misuse in their lifetime. There are a wide variety of reasons that students partake in prescription stimulant misuse. There are not many prevention efforts in place for college students. This study aimed to refine and pilot a primary prevention intervention targeted towards first-year college students.
This study consisted of multiple stages. Stage 1A was completed in the fall 2017 semester and consisted of all activities related to developing a primary prevention plan to reduce prescription stimulant misuse. Stage 1B was completed from fall 2018 through fall 2020, excluding Spring 2020. Motivational interviewing and cognitive behavioral therapy for adults techniques were integrated into the novel brief prevention intervention. Focus groups were made to provide feedback on the intervention program. Four hundred eighty-four first-year college students participated in this study and were followed for three months. All participants were aged 18 or 19. Exclusion criteria consisted of those who included current or historical ADHD diagnosis, prescription stimulant use or misuse, and/or cocaine and methamphetamine use. Stimulant medication expectancies, time management skills, demographic and associated risk factors, and primary and secondary outcome variables were all measured.
This showed the prevention program to be very promising and satisfactory. The intervention group reported an incidence rate of past 3-month prescription stimulant misuse lower than the control group. Changes in positive stimulant expectancies are a better target for future prevention efforts than time management skills. Overall, this study shows support for implementing primary prevention programs for prescription stimulant misuse on college campuses.
Takeaway: Prescription stimulant misuse has a high prevalence rate on college campuses; more primary prevention programs such as this one have shown promising outcomes and should be implemented on college campuses.