Prevalence and correlates of non-medical stimulants and related drug use in a sample of South African undergraduate medical students
South African Journal of Psychiatry
| Field | Value | |
| Title | Prevalence and correlates of non-medical stimulants and related drug use in a sample of South African undergraduate medical students | |
| Creator | Retief, Mari Verster, Chris | |
| Description | Background: The non-medical use of prescription psychostimulants or cognitive-enhancing substances among healthy college students is a growing concern. This use appears to be particularly high among medical students. To our knowledge, no literature is available on the non-medical use of stimulants among South African medical students.Objective: To determine the prevalence and correlates of non-medical stimulant use as well as subjective opinion on peer numbers using stimulants and university attitude towards stimulant use among a sample of South African undergraduate medical students.Methods: A descriptive observational study was conducted by means of a self-report questionnaire. Second- and fourth-year medical students (n = 252) completed the questionnaire.Results: Of the sample, 44 (18%) reported a lifetime use of stimulants for non-medical purposes and 33 (85%) of this group reported use within the past year. A total of six (2%) students reported a diagnosis of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). In the group without a diagnosis of ADHD, non-medical stimulant use was associated with the year of study (p = 0.03) and illicit substance use (p = 0.01). Most of the students in this group (31, 32%) reported using stimulants to improve concentration.Conclusion: Non-medical use of stimulants to improve concentration and academic performance is prevalent among the South African medical students sampled in this study. Further research at other institutions and under non-medical students would be helpful to assess the scope of this phenomenon. | |
| Publisher | AOSIS | |
| Date | 2016-06-24 | |
| Identifier | 10.4102/sajpsychiatry.v22i1.795 | |
| Source | South African Journal of Psychiatry; Vol 22, No 1 (2016); 6 pages 2078-6786 1608-9685 | |
| Language | eng | |
| Relation |
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:
https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/795/654
https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/795/655
https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/795/656
https://sajp.org.za/index.php/sajp/article/view/795/646
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