title: Alcohol-use disorders and nonmedical use of prescription drugs among U.S. college students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to examine the association between Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV), alcohol-use disorders (AUDs) and nonmedical use of prescription drugs (NMPD) among U.S. college students. A secondary aim of this study was to identify individual-level and college-level characteristics associated with the co-occurrence of AUDs and NMPD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from self-administered mail surveys, sent to a random sample of approximately 14,000 college students from a nationally representative sample of 119 U.S. colleges and universities.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Among U.S. college students, those with AUDs represented approximately 75% of nonmedical users of prescription drugs. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated that college students with past-year DSM-IV alcohol abuse only (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=4.46, 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.59-5.55) and students with past-year DSM-IV alcohol dependence (AOR=9.17, 95% CI=7.05-11.93) had significantly increased odds of NMPD in the past year compared with students without AUDs. The co-occurrence of AUDs and NMPD was more likely among college students who were male, white, earned lower grade point averages, and attended co-ed colleges and institutions located in Southern or Northeastern U.S. regions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings provide evidence that NMPD is more prevalent among those college students with AUDs, especially individuals with past-year DSM-IV alcohol dependence. The assessment and treatment of AUDs among college students should account for other forms of drug use such as NMPD.
authors.affiliation: University of Michigan, Substance Abuse Research Center, 2025 Traverwood Drive, Suite C, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48105-2194, USA. plius@umich.edu
authors.forename: Sean Esteban
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: McCabe
authors.forename: Brady T
authors.initials: BT
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: Henry
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wechsler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014481:United States