Research finds prescription drug misuse among college students most common during weekdays

(SMU, October 20) College students who misuse prescription drugs do so more often during the week and when they are alone at home, according to a recent study published in the journal Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

The longitudinal study, “College-based social and situational predictors of real-time prescription drug misuse in daily life,” surveyed college students at a large university in the midwestern United States. The participants  were asked about their prescription drug use and whether they used the medications in any way the doctor did not intend, such as changing the allowed dosage and frequency of when the medication was taken, or using someone else’s prescription medication.

The findings shed new light on how and when college students misuse prescriptions. SMU (Southern Methodist University) associate professor Chrystyna D. Kouros, director of the Family Health & Development Lab in SMU’s Department of Psychology, said the study she co-authored revealed potential differences in the way college students misuse prescription drugs when compared to studies of how college students use other substances. Read more.