Predicting College Student Prescription Stimulant Misuse: An Analysis From Ecological Momentary Assessment

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2021

Abstract

Prescription stimulant misuse (PSM) is common in young adult college students, at over 10% in the pastyear, and it is associated with other substance use and risk behaviors. Research focused on the real-timedrivers of PSM is absent, impeding prevention and intervention. This research aimed to fill that gap byexamining the relationships between affect, global stress, or academic stress and PSM via ecologicalmomentary assessment (EMA); we also investigated baseline predictors of PSM frequency during the21-day EMA period. Forty-one full-time college students (mean age: 20.5, 66% female) who endorsedcurrent PSM (≥ 6 past-year episodes) participated. Participants were asked to complete EMA questionsin response to 3 daily investigator-initiated prompts and after every PSM episode. Assessments wereselected based on affect regulation (e.g., positive affect [PA], negative affect [NA]) and drug instrumentalization(e.g., academic stress and/or demands) theories of substance use. Mixed-effects linearmodels examined EMA data, and negative binomial regression analyses examined baseline predictors ofPSM episode frequency. PA was higher on PSM days and increased post-PSM, whereas NA wasunrelated to PSM. Although global and academic stress were largely unrelated to PSM, when the motiveendorsed for PSM was “to study,” pre-PSM ratings of academic demand and stress were significantlyhigher. Finally, a history of recreational motives (e.g., to get high) or higher levels of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms predicted a greater number of PSM episodes over the EMA period. Theresults offered mixed support for both affect regulation and instrumentalization as applied to PSM.

Publication Source (Journal or Book title)

Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology

First Page

580

Last Page

586

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