Non-medical use of prescription stimulants among US college students: prevalence and correlates from a national survey

FRANÇAIS :
Enquête nationale auprès de 10904 étudiants de 119 collèges ou universités sur leur consommation de Ritaline, Dexédrine et Adderall et leur consommation associée dalcool, tabac et drogues illicites. La prévalence est plus élevée dans les établissements des régions du Nord-Est des Etats-Unis et dans les établissements ayant des standards dadmission plus sélectifs. Les usagers de stimulants sont plus susceptibles de consommer dautres produits et de présenter dautres conduites à risque.
ENGLISH :
Aims To examine the prevalence rates and correlates of non-medical use of prescription stimulants (Ritalin, Dexedrine or Adderall) among US college students in terms of student and college characteristics. Design A self-administered mail survey. Setting One hundred and nineteen nationally representative 4-year colleges in the United States. Participants A representative sample of 10 904 randomly selected college students in 2001. Measurements Self-reports of non-medical use of prescription stimulants and other substance use behaviors. Findings The life-time prevalence of non-medical prescription stimulant use was 6.9%, past year prevalence was 4.1% and past month prevalence was 2.1%. Past year rates of non-medical use ranged from zero to 25% at individual colleges. Multivariate regression analyses indicated non-medical use was higher among college students who were male, white, members of fraternities and sororities and earned lower grade point averages. Rates were higher at colleges located in the north-eastern region of the US and colleges with more competitive admission standards. Non-medical prescription stimulant users were more likely to report use of alcohol, cigarettes, marijuana, ecstasy, cocaine and other risky behaviors. Conclusions The findings of the present study provide evidence that non-medical use of prescription stimulants is more prevalent among particular subgroups of US college students and types of colleges. The non-medical use of prescription stimulants represents a high-risk behavior that should be monitored further and intervention efforts are needed to curb this form of drug use. (Author' s abstract)