College student goals in the context of prescription stimulant misuse: An application of goals–plans–action theory

Abstract

Guided by goals–plans–action theory (Dillard, 1990), this study examines the goals and strategic message plans underlying college student interventions to prevent or reduce peers’ misuse of prescription stimulants. College students (n = 115) participated in an online survey in which they read a hypothetical scenario of a close friend’s Adderall misuse. Participants were prompted to provide the goals they would have for an intervention and strategic message plans for how they would intervene. Results of grounded theory analysis reveal five unique goals for these interactions, as well as six strategic message plans. Post hoc analyses revealed that several of the strategic message plans could be predicted by college students’ underlying goals for the interaction. These findings are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.

Keywords:

• college students
• goals
• goals–plans–action theory
• prescription stimulant misuse
• strategies