Students’ stimulant use for cognitive enhancement : a deliberate choice rather than an emotional response to a given situation
- Author
- Koen Ponnet (UGent) , Robert Tholen, Sara De Bruyn, Edwin Wouters, Joris Van Ouytsel, Michel Walrave and Guido Van Hal
- Organization
- Abstract
- Background: Prescription stimulants such as methylphenidate are usually prescribed to treat attention deficit (and hyperactivity) disorders (ADHD). Recently, these drugs have gained popularity among college students, because of the belief that they can help improve academic performance. Objectives: This study assessed whether engaging in nonmedical use of prescription stimulants for cognitive enhancement is a rational or a more spontaneous decision-making process. Method: A survey was conducted among 661 students (63.5 % females, n = 420, M-age = 21.40). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: A total of 15.9 % (n = 105) of the students had previously taken stimulants to improve their academic performance. The use of stimulants was significantly higher among males (22.4 %) than females (12.1 %). Positive attitudes toward stimulant use for cognitive enhancement were strongest related to students' intention to take stimulants for increasing their academic performance, followed by the norm of parents. Additionally, the more the students identified themselves with the prototype of a student using stimulants for cognitive enhancement, the more likely they were to be willing to misuse stimulants. Conclusions: The findings suggest that using stimulants for cognitive enhancement is a rational choice rather than an unplanned one.
- Keywords
- Toxicology, Pharmacology (medical), Pharmacology, Psychiatry and Mental health, College students, Substance use, Nonmedical stimulant use, Academic performance enhancement, PERCEIVED PEER USE, PRESCRIPTION STIMULANTS, NONMEDICAL USE, ACADEMIC-PERFORMANCE, UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS, COLLEGE-STUDENTS, WILLINGNESS, RISK, ATTITUDES, PERSPECTIVE
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Citation
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication: http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8682082
- MLA
- Ponnet, Koen, et al. “Students’ Stimulant Use for Cognitive Enhancement : A Deliberate Choice Rather than an Emotional Response to a given Situation.” DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, vol. 218, 2021, doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108410.
- APA
- Ponnet, K., Tholen, R., De Bruyn, S., Wouters, E., Van Ouytsel, J., Walrave, M., & Van Hal, G. (2021). Students’ stimulant use for cognitive enhancement : a deliberate choice rather than an emotional response to a given situation. DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, 218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108410
- Chicago author-date
- Ponnet, Koen, Robert Tholen, Sara De Bruyn, Edwin Wouters, Joris Van Ouytsel, Michel Walrave, and Guido Van Hal. 2021. “Students’ Stimulant Use for Cognitive Enhancement : A Deliberate Choice Rather than an Emotional Response to a given Situation.” DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE 218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108410.
- Chicago author-date (all authors)
- Ponnet, Koen, Robert Tholen, Sara De Bruyn, Edwin Wouters, Joris Van Ouytsel, Michel Walrave, and Guido Van Hal. 2021. “Students’ Stimulant Use for Cognitive Enhancement : A Deliberate Choice Rather than an Emotional Response to a given Situation.” DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE 218. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108410.
- Vancouver
- 1.Ponnet K, Tholen R, De Bruyn S, Wouters E, Van Ouytsel J, Walrave M, et al. Students’ stimulant use for cognitive enhancement : a deliberate choice rather than an emotional response to a given situation. DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE. 2021;218.
- IEEE
- [1]K. Ponnet et al., “Students’ stimulant use for cognitive enhancement : a deliberate choice rather than an emotional response to a given situation,” DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE, vol. 218, 2021.
@article{8682082, abstract = {{Background: Prescription stimulants such as methylphenidate are usually prescribed to treat attention deficit (and hyperactivity) disorders (ADHD). Recently, these drugs have gained popularity among college students, because of the belief that they can help improve academic performance. Objectives: This study assessed whether engaging in nonmedical use of prescription stimulants for cognitive enhancement is a rational or a more spontaneous decision-making process. Method: A survey was conducted among 661 students (63.5 % females, n = 420, M-age = 21.40). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Results: A total of 15.9 % (n = 105) of the students had previously taken stimulants to improve their academic performance. The use of stimulants was significantly higher among males (22.4 %) than females (12.1 %). Positive attitudes toward stimulant use for cognitive enhancement were strongest related to students' intention to take stimulants for increasing their academic performance, followed by the norm of parents. Additionally, the more the students identified themselves with the prototype of a student using stimulants for cognitive enhancement, the more likely they were to be willing to misuse stimulants. Conclusions: The findings suggest that using stimulants for cognitive enhancement is a rational choice rather than an unplanned one.}}, articleno = {{108410}}, author = {{Ponnet, Koen and Tholen, Robert and De Bruyn, Sara and Wouters, Edwin and Van Ouytsel, Joris and Walrave, Michel and Van Hal, Guido}}, issn = {{0376-8716}}, journal = {{DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE}}, keywords = {{Toxicology,Pharmacology (medical),Pharmacology,Psychiatry and Mental health,College students,Substance use,Nonmedical stimulant use,Academic performance enhancement,PERCEIVED PEER USE,PRESCRIPTION STIMULANTS,NONMEDICAL USE,ACADEMIC-PERFORMANCE,UNIVERSITY-STUDENTS,COLLEGE-STUDENTS,WILLINGNESS,RISK,ATTITUDES,PERSPECTIVE}}, language = {{eng}}, pages = {{6}}, title = {{Students’ stimulant use for cognitive enhancement : a deliberate choice rather than an emotional response to a given situation}}, url = {{http://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2020.108410}}, volume = {{218}}, year = {{2021}}, }
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