Illegal College ADHD Stimulant Distributors: Characteristics and Potential Areas of Intervention

This study identifies indicators of college students, with prescriptions to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) stimulants, who are most likely to distribute their medication to nonprescribed peers. 2,313 undergraduate students at a large Southeastern University were surveyed from 2009 t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Substance use & misuse 2013-04, Vol.48 (6), p.446-456
Main Authors: DeSantis, Alan D, Anthony, Kathryn E., Cohen, Elisia L.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adderall
ADHD
Adolescent
Adult
Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - drug therapy
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Central Nervous System Stimulants - therapeutic use
College students
diversion
Female
Health Surveys
Humans
Intervention
Male
misuse
Peer Group
Peers
prescription drugs
Stimulants
Students
Universities
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:This study identifies indicators of college students, with prescriptions to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) stimulants, who are most likely to distribute their medication to nonprescribed peers. 2,313 undergraduate students at a large Southeastern University were surveyed from 2009 to 2011. 5.2% (n = 120) were currently taking a prescribed ADHD stimulant. Analyses revealed that distributors are more likely to (1) take their medication less frequently; (2) misuse their stimulants for "off label" purposes; (3) be a member of a fraternity; (4) overestimate the percentages of users; and (5) belong to at-risk peer groups. The work concludes by discussing the study's implications, limitations and future research.
ISSN:1082-6084
1532-2491
DOI:10.3109/10826084.2013.778281