Adolescents' Motivations to Abuse Prescription Medications

Abstract

OBJECTIVES-Our goals were to (1) determine adolescents' motivations (reasons) for engaging in the nonmedical (illicit) use of 4 classes of prescription medications and (2) examine whether motivations were associated with a higher risk for substance abuse problems. RESPONDENTS-The2005 sample (N = 1086) was derived from one ethnically diverse school district in southeastern Michigan and included 7th-through 12th-grade students.METHODS-Data were collected by using a self-administered, Web-based survey that included questions about drug use and the motivations to engage in nonmedical use of prescription medication.RESULTS-Twelve percent of the respondents had engaged in nonmedical use of opioid pain medications in the past year: 3% for sleeping, 2% as a sedative and/or for anxiety, and 2% as stimulants. The reasons for engaging in the nonmedical use of prescription medications varied by drug classification. For opioid analgesics, when the number of motives increased, so too did the likelihood of a positive Drug Abuse Screening Test score. For every additional motive endorsed, the Drug Abuse Screening Test increased by a factor of 1.8. Two groups of students were compared (atrisk versus self-treatment); those who endorsed multiple motivations for nonmedical use of opioids (at-risk group) were significantly more likely to have elevated Drug Abuse Screening Test scores when compared with those who were in the self-treatment group. Those in the at-risk group also were significantly more likely to engage in marijuana and alcohol use. CONCLUSION-The findings from this exploratory study warrant additional research because several motivations for the nonmedical use of prescription medications seem associated with a greater likelihood of substance abuse problems. Keywordsnonmedical prescription drug use; adolescents' prescription medication abuse According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health 2004 data, 1 ∼9% of adolescents aged 12 to 17 years used prescription drugs for nonmedical purposes in the past year, including 7% who used pain medication, 2% stimulant medication, 2% tranquilizers, and 0.5% sedatives; however, the motivations to abuse these prescription drugs were not assessed. In fact, despite

Nonmedical Use of Prescription Opioids: Motive and Ubiquity Issues

“…The definition of "nonmedical use" would remain intact. The new question could be framed along the lines of those used by McCabe et al 51 and Boyd et al 9 By adding a question on motives, analyses can be done to determine if pain-related motives are associated with different epidemiological outcomes relative to other motives. 17 Although the addition of a question to the survey raises potential problems inherent in adding, revising, or deleting questions or a section of the survey, NSDUH officials have described the steps for making changes to ensure the integrity of the survey.…”

Prescribing of Controlled Medications to Adolescents and Young Adults in the United States

“…1,3,6 Motivations for misuse of prescription medications are broad and range from self-treatment of various conditions (ie, pain, insomnia, difficulty concentrating) to recreational use. 9,10 Although the motivations for misuse vary, the use of prescriptions medications without physician supervision imposes considerable risk. Similar to illicit street drugs, the nonmedical use of prescription medications is associated with unintentional overdoses, trauma, and high-risk behavior.…”

Public Perceptions of Pharmacogenetics

“…[17][18][19][20][21] To draft the questionnaire with optimal neutrality and clarity, a pilot study (n = 6) was first conducted. To facilitate statistical interpretation, all answer choices were presented on a 10-point Likert scale.…”

“…First, although it is permissible to employ convenience sampling in an exploratory study, 17,19,20,49 convenience sampling can potentially limit the generalizability of results.…”