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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 In sum, the authors concluded that -- contrary to common anecdotal evidence -- most students share the view that non-prescribed stimulant and analgesic use is moderately or highly risky.
Although ethnicity was generally unrelated to risk perceptions, the researchers noted that prior non-medical use of prescription drugs was linked to a relatively low concern that such behavior might prove harmful.
Those students who expressed such low concern were found to be about 10 times as likely to have used stimulants not prescribed for them in the prior year, when compared with those who perceived non-medicinal drug use as highly harmful.
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Those who perceived non-medical prescription drug use as safe were found to be more likely to engage in such use regardless of how driven (or not driven) they were toward seeking out attention, sensation and excitement.
However, those who viewed such use as highly harmful but were at the same time characterized as "high sensation-seekers" were not as dissuaded from such drug use as were similar-thinking students who expressed less interest in novel or dangerous experiences.
"But what we're talking about here is not rocket science," said Arria. "Using a prescription drug without a prescription is risky behavior. And for most students, the more we can do to accurately convey this fact, the better we'll be at dealing with the problem."
"This kind of prescription drug use represents a serious hazard that is greatly underestimated by college-age youth and young adults, and potentially can represent a major public health problem even greater than it is now," said Dr. Marc Galanter, director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse in the department of psychiatry at New York University School of Medicine. "So, it's very important that college-aged students -- and for that matter older adults -- be as well-informed and educated of this serious risk as possible."
More information
For more on youth and non-medicinal prescription drug use, visit The Partnership for a Drug-Free America.
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