title: What matters most? Assessing the influence of demographic characteristics, college-specific risk factors, and poly-drug use on nonmedical prescription drug use.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Although prior recent research has revealed a significant relationship between the nonmedical use of prescription drugs, demographic characteristics, college-specific risk factors, and other substance use among college students, there remains a need to conduct a comparative analysis on the differential impact these factors may have on predicting nonmedical prescription drug use.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2008 a convenience sample of 599 undergraduate students attending a southeastern university completed a self-report survey measuring substance use behaviors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Males, Greeks, and freshman were more likely than females, non-Greeks, and upperclassman to use nonmedical prescription drugs in the past year. Multivariate analyses, however, indicate that the excessive use of alcohol and other illicit drugs are more influential than demographic and college-specific risk factors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Poly-drug use was found to be the most significant predictor of the use of nonmedical prescription drugs as compared to demographic and college-specific risk factors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sociology and Criminology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lanier
authors.forename: Erin J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Farley
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D013287:Illicit Drugs; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010865:Pilot Projects; D019338:Polypharmacy; D055553:Prescription Drugs; D044469:Racial Groups / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D014481:United States; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D013287:Illicit Drugs; D055553:Prescription Drugs