Prescription Stimulant Medication Attitudes and Beliefs of Undergraduate Students Involved in Social Sororities

• Main Authors: Rim, Carol, Ong, Nicholas, Goldstone, Lisa W.
• Language: en_US
• Published: The University of Arizona. 2016
• Subjects: Prescription Stimulant; Sororities; Medication; Undergraduate
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10150/614014; http://arizona.openrepository.com/arizona/handle/10150/614014

Class of 2016 Abstract === Objectives: To first educate undergraduates involved in social sororities about prescription stimulant medications and to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention in influencing the attitudes and beliefs regarding prescription stimulant medication use of undergraduates involved in social sororities. Methods: The intervention, an educational session, was presented to undergraduates involved in social sororities. The questionnaire collected demographic data regarding gender, age, ethnicity, race, undergraduate year, grade point average, type of sorority member, history of an attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis, and previous or current non-medical use of prescription stimulants. The participants’ attitudes and beliefs on nine statements regarding prescription stimulants were queried pre- and post-intervention using a four-point Likert scale ranging from strongly disagree to strongly agree. To analyze changes in attitudes and beliefs, Mann-Whitney test was used. Results: One hundred sixty-three sorority members participated in the study. The average age of participants was 19 years with the majority of respondents identifying as an active sorority member (81%) and in their first year of undergraduate study (69%). There was a statistically significant change in beliefs regarding the safety (p < 0.01) and health risks (p = 0.02) associated with prescription stimulants. There was no significant difference in topics relating to addiction, legal issues of taking someone else’s prescription medications, emotional and academic outcomes from the use of prescription stimulants. Conclusions: The educational program presented by pharmacy students was effective in changing the beliefs and attitudes regarding safety and health risks of prescription stimulants among undergraduate students involved in social sororities.