Effects of gender and motivations on perceptions of nonmedical use of prescription stimulants.

OBJECTIVE This study examined the impact on college students' perceptions of nonmedical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS) of motivation for use and gender. PARTICIPANTS Participants were college students (N=695) from 2 universities in different regions of the United States. METHODS Participants read a vignette describing a college student who used a prescription stimulant for a nonmedical purpose and rated their perception of that individual using a semantic differential. A 2 (participant gender) by 2 (gender of the individual described in the vignette) by 3 (motive for use: get high, study, lose weight) design was used. RESULTS The male who used a stimulant to study was rated significantly less negatively than if he used the stimulant to get high. NMUPS as a study aid was viewed the least negatively overall. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that gender does not, whereas motivation for use does, impact students' perceptions of NMUPS.