Prescription stimulant diversion on a college campus: Intrapersonal, interpersonal and environmental correlates

Intranasal Use of Prescription Stimulants Among Adults Aged 18 to 30: Results From A Crowdsourcing Platform

OBJECTIVE

Few studies of prescription stimulant non-oral, non-medical use (NMU) (defined by use not as prescribed) have been conducted in adults beyond the college population. The purpose of this study was to characterize prescription stimulant non-oral use, specifically intranasal (IN) use (snorting) in young adults.

METHOD

Amazon's MTurk platform was used to recruit participants for an online survey. Data were collected from March to April 2020.

RESULTS

Thirty-two percent (n = 157) of survey respondents (N = 975), aged 18 to 30, reported IN prescription stimulant use (average of 32.1 episodes of lifetime IN use). Adderall was the most-reported prescription stimulant used intranasally (89.2%). Most IN users (82%; n = 68) reported spending no more than 5 minutes tampering with prescription stimulants. Intranasal users said they would take the medication orally if unable to tamper or manipulate medication for IN use.

CONCLUSION

These data help quantify a complex public health issue of ongoing IN use of prescription stimulants and suggest a potential role for manipulation-deterrent medications.

Perspectives on Deterrents from Students Who Have Discontinued Prescription Stimulant Misuse and Diversion Behaviors

Although a growing number of studies have sought to understand what motivates the initiation of prescription stimulant misuse and diversion among college students, there has been a lack of studies focused on what motivates behavior cessation. We aimed to explore what motivates prescription stimulant misuse and diversion cessation, from the perspective of college students with a history of having initiated and then discontinued these behaviors. We conducted face-to-face interviews with students who had a history of misuse, diversion, or both, and who had intentionally, either for the short-term or long-term, ceased these behaviors. We audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed interviews inductively using a thematic analysis approach. Of the six themes we identified, four applied to both misuse and diversion, while two applied to diversion only. Engaging in related behavior change, seasonality of the behaviors, changes in personal needs, and negative and/or null experiences with the behaviors were themes for both misuse and diversion cessation. Themes that emerged solely for diversion cessation included: moral and legal concerns and not wanting to be perceived as a drug dealer. The information shared by students with first-hand misuse and diversion cessation experience has the potential to guide interventions designed to address prescription stimulant misuse on college campuses.

Upstream Approaches to Addressing Prescription Stimulant Misuse and Diversion: Exploring Perspectives of College Students Who Misuse and Divert

Background

We interviewed college students who engage in prescription stimulant misuse and diversion to better understand perspectives on prevention and intervention strategies.

Methods

Trained student researchers at one southern California university completed 32 face-to-face interviews with students who had a history of misuse and/or diversion. Participants provided insights on programs, policies, and practices that have the potential to deter behavior. Data were analyzed inductively via thematic analysis.

Results

Students were often misinformed or unaware of existing programs, policies and practices. Additionally, some students felt their behaviors would not be detected, whereas other students felt the fear of being detected would lead them to change their behaviors. Harm reduction and treatment-based approaches to address misuse were also recommended.

Conclusions

Our findings emphasize the importance of better educating students about, and enforcing, existing policies. In addition, the need to better inform students of existing campus programs is warranted.

Prescription Stimulant Misuse and Diversion Events Among College Students: A Qualitative Study

Prescription stimulant misuse and diversion are interrelated behaviors: diversion increases the availability of stimulants for misuse, and persons who misuse are also more likely to divert. To date, research has examined these behaviors using a primarily quantitative lens. We led a qualitative investigation to better understand misuse and diversion events. Data are from a diverse southern California campus where we interviewed students who misuse and/or divert prescription stimulants (32 total interviews: 16 interviews with students who had a history of misuse, and 16 different interviews with students who had a history of diversion). We analyzed interview data inductively. We identified the following themes about misuse and diversion events, several of which intersected during interviews: medication surplus, diversion and misuse hubs, ease of behavior performance, academic stress, and other drugs commonly involved. For diversion, altruism and monetary gain were juxtaposed themes. Across themes, friends and family were influential figures. Implications for prevention, intervention, and future research directions are discussed.