Prescription stimulant diversion is a behavior that increases the availability and accessibility of prescription stimulants for purposes such as misuse. As such, we aimed to develop a theory-guided understanding of diversion correlates. Data are from a probability sample of 499 undergraduate college students attending one California university. Participants completed a 100-item survey related to prescription stimulant misuse and diversion. We first calculated prevalence of diversion and associations with demographic variables. Next, to examine intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental correlates of diversion, we estimated three separate nested logistic regression models. Prescription stimulant diversion during college was reported by approximately 10% of the sample. In the nested logistic analyses, diversion was found to be associated with intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental variables. These findings highlight the importance of examining a comprehensive set of correlates to identify subgroups of students at risk for engaging in sharing and/or selling of prescription stimulants.
Our goal was to compare and contrast the correlates of academic- and recreation-motivated misuse of prescription stimulants (MPS). Questionnaires were distributed to a probability sample of students attending two universities. We used a series of logistic regression analyses to examine intrapersonal, interpersonal, and environmental correlates of use among academic-motivated users (versus nonacademic-motivated users) and recreation-motivated users (versus nonrecreation-motivated users; N = 257 students with MPS experience). Sensations seeking, older age, academic concern, family perception of MPS, family and faculty endorsement of MPS, perceived prevalence of MPS among friends, and financial stress were unique correlates of recreation-motivated MPS. Inattention, friends’ perception of MPS, friend endorsement of MPS, perception of willingness of health care providers to write prescriptions and negative expectancies were unique correlates of academic-motivated MPS. Variables that were correlates of both motives were race/ethnicity, year in school, avoidance self-efficacy, diversion, positive MPS expectancies, MPS intention, and other substance use. These findings have important prevention and intervention implications.
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