Affective temperaments and stimulant medications misuse for neuroenhancement in graduate students

Background: Stimulant medications misuse is widespread on college campuses. Drug-seeking behavior has been proposed to be associated with temperament traits. No studies have investigated the association of individual temperament traits with the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants in graduate college students. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study performed at a Northeast US medical college. A total of 303 students were investigated using the short form of Akiskal’s TEMPS-A auto-questionnaire. The association of demographic variables and substance use (drinking, smoking, use of illicit drugs) with the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants was assessed. Predictors were investigated using logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of stimulant medications misusers at this medical college was 32.3%. Among the misusers, 6.3% were previously diagnosed with ADHD and were taking stimulants at a different dosage and/or for a different reason than that recommended by a doctor. Stimulant medications misuse was associated with membership in student clubs, drinking, and illicit drugs use. Misusers had higher scores on the hyperthymic scale. This temperament trait, drinking, and the use of illicit drugs increased the odds of the nonmedical use of prescription stimulants. Conclusions: Temperament traits and behavior, which are powerful indicators of students’ inclination to use prescription stimulants for neuroenhanchment, were identified. The results might be of importance in designing prevention and treatment strategies at medical colleges.