Undergraduate Student Perceptions On the Use of Cognitive Stimulants

Abstract

In the 1990s, the use of cognitive stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin, increased significantly across college campuses in the United States (Cassidy et al., 2015). Many students have claimed that the used non-medical prescription ADHD-stimulants has become a college campus norm (Babcock & Byrne, 2000). Although there is research on college students use of non-medical cognitive stimulants not much has been done to examine this epidemic. This study investigates the lived experiences and perceptions about non-prescribed cognitive stimulants among college students. Exploring student perceptions on the use of non-prescribed cognitive stimulants invites leaders in higher education to reevaluate the demands placed on, and the strategies employed by students to fulfill their college requirements and meet their academic goals. To accomplish this, a modified phenomenological (Moustakas, 1994, as cited in Creswell, 2007) and narrative research design (Clandinin & Connelly, 2000) was used to inquire into the lived realities of participants. This qualitative study explores the following research questions: What are undergraduate students’ perceptions on the use of non-prescribed cognitive stimulants such as Adderall and Ritalin? And, according to undergraduate students, what are the circumstances that contribute to the use of non-prescribed cognitive stimulants such as Adderall or Ritalin?