ERIC Number: EJ1405044
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 8
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0744-8481
EISSN: EISSN-1940-3208
Social Norms of College Students Engaging in Non-Medical Prescription Drug Use to Get High: What's Sex Got to Do with It?
Jason Y. Isaacs; Kara Thompson; Igor Yakovenko; Keith Dobson; Shu-Ping Chen; Amanda Hudson; Ioan Tiberiu Mahu; Sherry H. Stewart
Journal of American College Health, v71 n8 p2587-2594 2023
Background: Relationships exist between perceived peer and own use of alcohol, cannabis, and tobacco, particularly when peers and participants are sex-matched. We investigated sex influences on social norms effects for college students' non-medical prescription drug use (NMPDU). Methods: N = 1986 college students reported on their perceptions of male and female peers' NMPDU frequency and their own past-month NMPDU. Results: Approximately 3% of students self-reported past month NMPDU, with no sex differences. In a linear mixed model, participants who engaged in NMPDU perceived significantly more frequent peer use. Female participants perceived more frequent peer NMPDU than did male participants, particularly when perceiving male peers' NMPDU. Significant positive correlations were found between perceived peer NMPDU frequency and participants' own NMPDU for all peer-participant sex combinations, with no evidence for stronger correlations with sex-matched pairs. Conclusions: While social norm interventions may be effective for college student NMPDU, sex-matching of these interventions is likely unnecessary.
Descriptors: Social Attitudes, Behavior Standards, Social Behavior, Peer Influence, Drug Abuse, Gender Differences, College Students, Correlation, Foreign Countries
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A