College students' non-medical use & misuse of ADHD meds

描述(申请人提供)：尽管越来越多的人担心大学生非医疗使用ADHD药物(即，在没有处方的情况下使用ADHD药物)，以及有处方的学生可能滥用此类药物(例如，使用比处方剂量更高的剂量)，但有关这些行为的流行率、学生参与这些行为的原因、这些行为的危险因素以及可能产生的后果的信息有限。为了解决文献中的这些空白，我们建议对杜克大学和北卡罗来纳大学格林斯伯勒分校的所有入学学生进行一项关于ADHD药物非医疗使用和滥用的纵向研究。学生们将被要求在大一开始和结束时以及大二结束时完成一项关于他们使用ADHD药物的网络调查，以便跟踪大学头两年非医疗使用和滥用ADHD药物的发展情况。调查将评估使用频率、给药方法(即口服、鼻腔、注射)、使用原因(例如，为了提高学习成绩、达到高潮等)，以及使用的预期后果。将评估其他药物使用、精神症状--包括ADHD症状--和人格特征，以便检查非医疗使用/滥用ADHD药物的风险因素。研究结果将提供有关大学生不同类型的非医疗用药和滥用ADHD药物的流行率的新信息，以及这种情况如何随性别、种族和机构类型的变化而变化。还将收集有关非医疗用途和滥用ADHD药物的风险因素以及与这些做法相关的后果的新信息；特别令人感兴趣的是，未经治疗的ADHD症状是否是非医疗用途的重要风险因素。最后，将收集关于大学生ADHD药物处方使用的数据，这是一个目前几乎没有数据的领域。研究结果将向大学管理人员和卫生服务提供者通报大学生非医疗使用和滥用ADHD药物是否代表着一个重要的公共卫生问题，并将为后续对这一主题的调查奠定基础。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Despite growing concerns about the non-medical use of ADHD medications by college students (i.e., using ADHD medications without a prescription), and the possible misuse of such medications by students with prescriptions (e.g., using higher doses than have been prescribed) limited information exists on the prevalence of these behaviors, the reasons students engage in these behaviors, the risk factors for these behaviors, and what the consequences may be. To address these gaps in the literature, we propose a longitudinal study of the non-medical use and misuse of ADHD medications among all entering students at 2 diverse universities - Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Students will be asked to complete a web-based survey pertaining to their use of ADHD medication at the beginning and end of their freshman year, and at the end of their sophomore year, so that the development of non-medical use and misuse of ADHD medication during the first two years of college can be tracked. The survey will assess frequency of use, method of administration (i.e., oral, intranasal, injection), reasons for use (e.g. to enhance academic performance, to get high, etc.), and perceived consequences of use. Other substance use, psychiatric symptoms - including ADHD symptoms - and personality characteristics will be assessed so that risk factors for non-medical use/misuse of ADHD medication can be examined. Results will provide new information on the prevalence of different types of non-medical use and misuse of ADHD medications by college students, and how this varies by gender, ethnicity, and type of institution. New information on risk factors for nonmedical use and misuse of ADHD medication, as well as the consequences associated with these practices, will also be gathered; a particular interest is whether untreated ADHD symptoms are an important risk factor for non-medical use. Finally, data on the prescribed use of ADHD medication among college students, an area where little data currently exists, will be collected. Results will inform college administrators and health providers about whether non-medical use and misuse of ADHD medications by college students represents an important public health problem, and will set the stage for subsequent investigations of this topic.