Prescription Drug Attitudes Questionnaire: Development and Validation

Jamie S. Bodenlos^1*, Andrew Malordy¹, Marleah Noonan¹, Aubreyanne Mayrsohn¹, Brian Mistler²

¹Hobart and William Smith Colleges, Geneva, USA.
²Ringling College of Art and Design, Sarasota, USA.

DOI: 10.4236/psych.2014.514176                

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a scale measuring attitudes towards prescription drug use for nonmedical reasons. Participants (N = 310) were recruited from a small northeastern college and completed the Prescription Drugs Attitudes Questionnaire (PDAQ), the College Alcohol Problems Scale (CAPS-R) and answered questions about current substance use. Principal components analysis of the PDAQ yielded a two-factor structure accounting for 58.2% of the total variance in attitudes toward prescription drugs where the factors represented items concerning Recreational and Achievement-Oriented attitudes. The PDAQ had good internal consistency (.94) and convergent validity with a measure of alcohol problems (r = .37), alcohol use (r = .44), and illicit drug use (r = .36). The PDAQ is a reliable and valid scale that can be used by researchers and clinicians to understand and prevent prescription drug abuse among youth.

Keywords

Drugs, Attitudes, Prescriptions, Scale Development, Psychometrics

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1]	Arria, A. M., Caldeira, K. M., Vincent, K. B., O’Grady, K. E., & Wish, E. D. (2008). Perceived Harmfulness Predicts Nonmedical Use of Prescription Drugs among College Students: Interactions with Sensation-Seeking [Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural]. Prevention Science, 9, 191-201. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11121-008-0095-8
[2]	Azjen, I. (1985). From Intention to Actions: A Theory of Planned Behavior. In J. Kuhl, & J. Beckman (Eds.), Action-Control: From Cognition to Behavior (pp. 11-39). Heidelberg: Springer.
[3]	Biegler, P., & Vargas, P. (2013). Ban the Sunset? Nonpropositional Content and Regulation of Pharmaceutical Advertising. The American Journal of Bioethics, 13, 3-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15265161.2013.776127
[4]	CDC (2011). Overdoses of Prescription Opioid Pain Relievers—United States, 1999-2008. MMWR.
[5]	Drugfree.org, T. P. A., & Foundation, M. (2013). PATS Key Findings: 2012 Partnership Attitude Tracking Study. http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2013/04/24/10667804/PATS-2012-KEY-FINDINGS.pdf
[6]	Dussault, C. L., & Weyandt, L. L. (2013). An Examination of Prescription Stimulant Misuse and Psychological Variables among Sorority and Fraternity College Populations. Journal of Attention Disorders, 17, 87-97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1087054711428740
[7]	Field, A. (2013). Discovering Statistics Using IBM SPSS Statistics (4th ed.). SAGE.
[8]	Gomes, J., Song, T., Godwin, L., & Toriello, P. J. (2011). Prescription Stimulant Abuse on University Campuses. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 21, 822-833. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10911359.2011.615680
[9]	Jardin, B., Looby, A., & Earleywine, M. (2011). Characteristics of College Students with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms Who Misuse Their Medications. Journal of American College Health, 59, 373-377. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/07448481.2010.513073
[10]	Kuehn, B. M. (2012). WHO Documents Worldwide Need for Better Drug Abuse Treatment—And Access to It. Journal of the American Medical Association, 308, 442-443. http://dx.doi.org/10.1001/jama.2012.8882
[11]	Maddock, J. E., Laforge, R. G., Rossi, J. S., & O’Hare, T. (2001). The College Alcohol Problems Scale. Addictive Behaviors, 26, 385-398. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0306-4603(00)00116-7
[12]	McCabe, S. E., & Teter, C. J. (2007). Drug Use Related Problems among Nonmedical Users of Prescription Stimulants: A Web-Based Survey of College Students from a Midwestern University [Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural]. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 91, 69-76. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2007.05.010
[13]	McCabe, S. E., Knight, J. R., Teter, C. J., & Wechsler, H. (2005). Non-Medical Use of Prescription Stimulants among US College Students: Prevalence and Correlates from a National Survey [Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov’t Research Support, U.S. Gov’t, P.H.S.]. Addiction, 100, 96-106. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1360-0443.2005.00944.x
[14]	McCabe, S. E., Teter, C. J., & Boyd, C. J. (2005). Illicit Use of Prescription Pain Medication among College Students [Comparative Study Research Support, U.S. Gov’t, P.H.S.]. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 77, 37-47. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2004.07.005
[15]	National Institute on Drug Abuse (2011). Topics in Brief: Prescription Drug Abuse. http://www.drugabuse.gov/publications/topics-in-brief/prescription-drug-abuse
[16]	O’Hare, T. (1998). Replicating the College Alcohol Problem Scale (CAPS) with College First Offenders. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 43, 75-82.
[17]	O’Hare, T., & Sherrer, M. V. (1998). Drinking Problems, Alcohol Expectancies and Drinking Contexts in College First Offenders. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 43, 31-45.
[18]	Partridge, B., Bell, S., Lucke, J., & Hall, W. (2013). Australian University Students’ Attitudes towards the Use of Prescription Stimulants as Cognitive Enhancers: Perceived Patterns of Use, Efficacy and Safety [Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov’t]. Drug and Alcohol Review, 32, 295-302. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/dar.12005
[19]	Rosenfield, D., Hebert, P. C., Stanbrook, M. B., Flegel, K., & MacDonald, N. E. (2011). Time to Address Stimulant Abuse on Our Campuses [Editorial]. Candian Medical Association Journal, 183, 1345. http://dx.doi.org/10.1503/cmaj.111149
[20]	Sepulveda, D. R., Thomas, L. M., McCabe, S. E., Cranford, J. A., Boyd, C. J., & Teter, C. J. (2011). Misuse of Prescribed Stimulant Medication for ADHD and Associated Patterns of Substance Use: Preliminary Analysis among College Students [Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural]. Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 24, 551-560. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0897190011426558
[21]	Stone, A. M., & Merlo, L. J. (2012). Psychiatric Medication-Seeking Beliefs and Behaviors among College Students [Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov’t]. American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse, 38, 314-321. http://dx.doi.org/10.3109/00952990.2011.643992
[22]	Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (2013). Emergency Department Visits Involving Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Stimulant Medications. http://www.samhsa.gov/daa/2k13/DAWN073/sr073-ADD-ADHD-medications.htm
[23]	Talbott, L. L., Umstattd, M., Usdan, S. L., Martin, R. J., & Geiger, B. F. (2009). Validation of the College Alcohol Problem Scale—Revised for Use with Non-Adjudicated First Year Students. Addictive Behaviors, 34, 471-473. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2008.12.005
[24]	West, S., & Graham, C. W. (2001). Assessing the Validity of the College Alcohol Problem Scale with African American Undegraduates: Results of a Preliminary Investigation. Journal of Alcohol and Drug Education, 46, 4-17.
[25]	Weyandt, L. L., Janusis, G., Wilson, K. G., Verdi, G., Paquin, G., Lopes, J., Varejao, M., & Dussault, C. (2009). Nonmedical Prescription Stimulant Use among a Sample of College Students: Relationship with Psychological Variables. Journal of Attention Disorders, 13, 284-296. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1087054709342212
[26]	Weyandt, L. L., Marraccini, M. E., Gudmundsdottir, B. G., Zavras, B. M., Turcotte, K. D., Munro, B. A., & Amoroso, A. J. (2013). Misuse of Prescription Stimulants among College Students: A Review of the Literature and Implications for Morphological and Cognitive Effects on Brain Functioning. Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology, 21, 385-407. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/a0034013
[27]	Zullig, K. J., & Divin, A. L. (2012). The Association between Non-Medical Prescription Drug Use, Depressive Symptoms, and Suicidality among College Students [Multicenter Study]. Addictive Behaviors, 37, 890-899. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.02.008