TY - JOUR
T1 - Prescribing Some Criminological Theory
T2 - An Examination of the Illicit Use of Prescription Stimulants among College Students
AU - Maahs, Jeffrey R.
AU - Weidner, Robert R.
AU - Smith, Ryan
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2015.
PY - 2016/2/1
Y1 - 2016/2/1
N2 - Recent evidence indicates that the illicit use of prescription stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin is common across college campuses and in professions (e.g., trucking) where staying awake and focused is valued. Existing research has established use patterns and explored respondents' reasons for using these stimulants. Less is known, however, about whether or how well mainstream criminological theory explains this type of illegal activity. This article reports results from a survey (N = 484) of college students from a Midwestern university, examining whether measures of strain, self-control, and social learning predict the illicit use of prescription stimulants. Measures from social learning and social control theories were significant predictors of illicit use of prescription stimulants, whereas the measure of academic strain was not; the strongest predictor of illicit use of prescription stimulants was general deviance. Implications of these findings are discussed.
AB - Recent evidence indicates that the illicit use of prescription stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin is common across college campuses and in professions (e.g., trucking) where staying awake and focused is valued. Existing research has established use patterns and explored respondents' reasons for using these stimulants. Less is known, however, about whether or how well mainstream criminological theory explains this type of illegal activity. This article reports results from a survey (N = 484) of college students from a Midwestern university, examining whether measures of strain, self-control, and social learning predict the illicit use of prescription stimulants. Measures from social learning and social control theories were significant predictors of illicit use of prescription stimulants, whereas the measure of academic strain was not; the strongest predictor of illicit use of prescription stimulants was general deviance. Implications of these findings are discussed.
KW - college students
KW - criminological theory
KW - illicit use
KW - prescription stimulants
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U2 - 10.1177/0306624X14548530
DO - 10.1177/0306624X14548530
M3 - Article
C2 - 25156423
AN - SCOPUS:84952011014
SN - 0306-624X
VL - 60
SP - 146
EP - 164
JO - International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
JF - International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
IS - 2
ER -