Remote Learning and Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way universities across the U.S. conduct operations. The most notable of these changes was the shift to remote learning which I posit may be related to the non-medical use of prescription stimulants by college students. The non-medical use of prescription stimulants is encapsulated by the theory of pharmaceuticalization. Literature on substance use during economic recessions sheds light on the non-medical use of prescription stimulants during the COVID-19 pandemic and remote learning semester. This project examines the non-medical use of prescription stimulants within the social context of remote learning as the nature of students’ non-medical use may have been unique to those circumstances. I conducted an online survey of University of Houston undergraduate students that asked about non-medical use of prescription stimulants as well as experiences with the remote learning format and mental health during the pandemic. I find that remote learning stress is directly related to an increase in the non-medical use of prescription stimulants. Further, I find that this association is mediated by adverse mental health outcomes.