According to recent studies, 11.1% of young adult college students and 8.8% of young adults not in college reported misusing the prescription stimulant Adderall in the past year. Prescription opioid misuse (POM) is less prevalent than prescription stimulant misuse (PSM). POM was reported by 2.7% of college-attending young adults and 3.2% of non-attending young adults. This study examined the correlation between college students’ PSM and POM shared psychosocial risk with other substance uses.
This cross-sectional study comprised 79,336 participants, all between the ages of 18 and 24. Data collection took place from 2015 through 2016. Prescription drug misuse, alcohol, heavy alcohol, cannabis, nicotine, and illicit drug use, drug use categories, and psychopathology and psychosocial outcomes were measured in this study. Psychopathology and psychosocial outcomes included experiencing depressive and anxiety symptoms in the past 12 months. The study’s findings suggest that prescription drug misuse is on a general risk continuum with other forms of substance use. No differences were found between participants who misused only prescription stimulants versus other illicit drugs.
Individuals who only fell under the PSM category were much more likely to be a part of Greek life on their campus. The study stated that this could be due to academic needs or greater access to stimulants from peers. Students who dealt with PSM only also had higher chances of general academic difficulty than the illicit drug use group. Students who used illegal and prescription drugs had higher odds than other groups on almost every negative outcome. Overall, it was suggested that students experiencing chronic pain and academic difficulties would more often misuse prescription opioids and stimulants.
Takeaway: The findings of the study suggest that prescription drug misuse is on a general continuum of risk with other forms of substance use; and students experiencing chronic pain and academic difficulties would more often misused prescription opioids and stimulants.