Using a theoretical approach to predict college students’ non-medical use of prescription drugs – a survival analysis

Abstract

Objectives

This study assesses students’ non-medical use of prescription drugs (NMUPD) from college entrance to graduation, and examines factors that predict NMUPD. Participants: The study was conducted between May 2011 and September 2015 with 338 students. Methods: Longitudinal cohort study design was used to examine NMUPD across time, and NMUPD-related attitudes and subjective norms. Five yearly interviews were conducted to collect data. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to examine time to NMUPD. Results: Thirty-five percent of study participants reported NMUPD; the majority of those initiated non-medical use before their third year in college. Analyses indicated that more positive attitudes towards NMUPD (HR = 1.73, p < 0.001), increased subjective norms regarding NMUPD (HR = 1.01, p < 0.01), and gender (male) (HR= 1.89, p < 0.001) were significantly associated with sooner NMUPD. Conclusions: Findings suggest that NMUPD prevention efforts that target mutable factors such as attitudes and subjective norms should be implemented early during students’ college careers.

Keywords:

• college students
• longitudinal
• nonmedical use
• Prescription drugs

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Universities of Washington and Wisconsin.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by grant R01DA031580-03 which is supported by the Common Fund, managed by the OD/Office of Strategic Coordination (OSC). This study was also supported by funds from the Kroger endowment at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number UL1TR002378. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or Kroger.