In search of pharmacological optimism: Investigating beliefs about effects of drugs: A pilot study

Abstract

The healthcare (HC) literature suggests that pharmacological optimism (PO) is a risk factor contributing to the initiation of substance use by HC professionals. Expectancies, or beliefs about the effects of alcohol and illicit drugs, have shown consistent relations with self-reported drug use across a number of populations. This preliminary study investigated if the domain of expectancies extends to prescription drugs (i.e. medications) or the misuse of licit drugs. A self-report cross-sectional survey was administered to pharmacy and nursing (healthcare) as well as other college undergraduate and graduate students (nonhealthcare) from third to sixth years (N = 401). Healthcare (HC) and nonhealthcare (NHC) college students completed a questionnaire assessing drug use, the pharmacological optimism (POS) and the willingness to use scales (POS). Using principal components analysis, the POS yielded four identifiable factors. The results of the present pilot study provide limited support for the reliability and validity for the POS. We report that pharmacological optimism predicted unique variance in drug use over that predicted by willingness to use and observed no differences between HC and NHC students on the POS, nor was associated with greater drug use by HC students. This preliminary study defines pharmacological optimism as an expectancy, which in combination with one's willingness to use drugs and other factors may influence misuse of licit drugs by HC workers. While the results support the notion of pharmacological optimism, these beliefs did not contribute to drug use by HC students.

• Healthcare professionals
• pharmacological optimism
• substance abuse
• drug use
• expectancies
• medications

Notes

Notes

1. Because of the overlap of definition within the healthcare profession, researchers and society, we use the term “drugs” to be synonymous with “medications”.

2. “Abuse” is used in the colloquial definition of the word.