Symposia
Addictive Behaviors
Jason R. Kilmer, Ph.D.
University of Washington School of Medicine
Seattle, Washington
Nicole Fossos-Wong, BS
Research Scientist
Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Seattle, Washington
Amelia Arria, Ph.D.
Professor and the Director of the Center on Young Adult Health and Development
University of Maryland, College Park
College Park, Maryland
Dolores Cimini, PhD
Senior Research Scientist
Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research, University at Albany
Albany, New York
Mary Larimer, Ph.D.
Professor
University of Washington, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Seattle, Washington
Kathryn Vincent, MA
Director of Operations, Center on Young Adult Health and Development and Office of Planning and Evaluation
Center on Young Adult Health and Development, Department of Behavioral and Community Health, University of Maryland School of Public Health
College Park, Maryland
Michael Gilson, JD, PhD
Acting Assistant Professor
Center for the Study of Health and Risk Behaviors, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington
Seattle, Washington
Laura Longo, PhD
Licensed Psychologist
Center for Behavioral Health Promotion and Applied Research, University at Albany
Albany, New York
Geetha Subramaniam, MD
Deputy Director of the Center for Clinical Trials Network
National Institute on Drug Abuse
North Bethesda, Maryland
David Liu, MD
Team Leader, Medical Officer
National Institute on Drug Abuse
North Bethesda, Maryland
Objectives: Project PHARM (Personalized Health Assessment Related to Medications) is a NIDA-funded multi-campus study to develop interventions for nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMPS). Initially launched as a smaller project in 2014, students across 7 campuses provided data about medical use, misuse, and nonmedical of prescription stimulant medication, along with motives, diversion practices and attitudes, consequences, and input on how norms could be used in prevention efforts on campuses. This preliminary data laid the foundation the NIDA-funded U01 collaborative PHARM award involving 9 campuses across the US to document behavior and evaluate the efficacy of a web-delivered personalized feedback intervention (PFI) addressing NMPS as the primary focus, while also including PFI content about alcohol and cannabis use.
Methods: In the initial study, 2989 college students (60% identified as female, average age = 20.3 years, and 66% identified as White) provided information on prescription stimulant use and nonmedical use, ADHD diagnosis, diversion, perceived norms, motives, consequences, and co-occurring substance use and consequences. For the U01, participants were 843 college students (60% identified as female, average age = 19.9 years, and 64% identified as White) who completed baseline and were randomized to condition.
Results: Overall findings and lessons learned will be described, including: a) significant misperceptions (i.e., overestimations) of the prevalence of NMPS; b) most students with NMPS engage in numerous other risky behaviors (e.g., almost all (86%) reported past-year cannabis use as well as heavy episodic drinking (86% for males and 88% for females); c) pressure to divert medication impacts those with prescriptions (e.g., approximately 60% of students with a prescription for stimulants had been approached by others to divert their medication, and more than one-third felt pressured to divert even though they did not want to). In the RCT evaluating the PFI, perceived norms for past-year NMPS and actual past 6-month NMPS stimulant use were significantly reduced among those in the PFI group compared to control, though there were no changes in use or consequences for alcohol or cannabis.
Discussion: Opportunities to address NMPS will be reviewed, including correcting misperceived norms, addressing attitudes related to diversion, providing alternative skills and services, screening for all forms of substance use, and offering PFIs when indicated.