Table 1.
Weighted lifetime medical and nonmedical use of psychoactive prescription medications by demographic characteristic of a sample of American University of Beirut students (n=570)
| Sleeping medications | Anxiety medications | Stimulant medications | Pain medications | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| ||||||||||||||||
| Med. N (%) | p | Non-med. N (%) | p | Med. N (%) | p | Non-med. N (%) | p | Med. N (%) | p | Non-med. N (%) | P | Med. N (%) | p | Non-med. N (%) | p | |
| Overall | 34 (6.52) | 34 (5.81) | 49 (8.25) | 28 (4.59) | 11 (2.60) | 19 (3.49) | 226 (36.89) | 89 (15.12) | ||||||||
|
| ||||||||||||||||
| Gender | ||||||||||||||||
| Male | 12 (5.65) | 0.517 | 10 (3.93) | 0.082 | 19 (9.32) | 0.363 | 8 (3.51) | 0.257 | 8 (4.27) | 0.081 | 9 (4.42) | 0.273 | 84 (32.98) | 0.085 | 27 (11.86) | 0.053 |
| Female | 21 (7.19) | 24 (7.88) | 28 (6.96) | 20 (5.86) | 3 (1.23) | 9 (2.54) | 137 (40.91) | 61 (18.75) | ||||||||
| Nationality | ||||||||||||||||
| Lebanese | 16 (5.36) | 0.289 | 12 (3.15) | 0.010 | 31 (8.53) | 0.094 | 18 (4.38) | 0.655 | 4 (1.88) | 0.331 | 6 (2.57) | 0.362 | 136 (36.25) | 0.851 | 51 (13.05) | 0.143 |
| Lebanese and other (“dual citizenship”) | 11 (7.17) | 14 (9.91) | 9 (4.94) | 8 (5.91) | 6 (4.59) | 8 (4.54) | 55 (35.50) | 30 (20.72) | ||||||||
| Foreign (Arab/other) | 7 (10.93) | 8 (10.03) | 9 (14.37) | 2 (3.05) | 1 (1.91) | 5 (5.72) | 32 (39.65) | 8 (13.76) | ||||||||
| Marital status* | ||||||||||||||||
| No partner | 24 (5.16) | 0.002 | 30 (5.87) | 0.924 | 39 (7.54) | 0.135 | 23 (4.32) | 0.418 | 10 (2.94) | < 0.001 | 17 (3.64) | 0.660 | 190 (35.36) | 0.133 | 79 (15.69) | 0.414 |
| With a partner | 10 (16.64) | 4 (5.55) | 10 (13.71) | 5 (6.81) | 1 (0.18) | 2 (2.48) | 34 (45.67) | 10 (11.33) | ||||||||
| SES | ||||||||||||||||
| A little/lot poorer than most | 3 (7.71) | 0.438 | 4 (9.79) | 0.113 | 6 (15.41) | 0.202 | 5 (10.88) | 0.040 | 1 (3.04) | 0.312 | 4 (9.63) | 0.054 | 25 (47.58) | 0.275 | 13 (25.38) | 0.081 |
| About the same as most | 18 (5.32) | 14 (3.96) | 27 (7.21) | 15 (2.89) | 5 (1.62) | 8 (2.31) | 132 (36.12) | 45 (12.72) | ||||||||
| A little/lot richer than most | 13 (8.70) | 16 (8.29) | 16 (8.26) | 8 (5.97) | 5 (4.45) | 7 (3.90) | 66 (34.63) | 31 (16.91) | ||||||||
| Living arrangement** | ||||||||||||||||
| Dorms | 3 (4.79) | 0.006 | 4 (6.77) | 0.650 | 3 (5.99) | 0.025 | 1 (0.93) | 0.210 | 1 (2.29) | 0.957 | 1 (0.38) | 0.003 | 34 (46.2) | 0.073 | 14 (18.93) | 0.148 |
| At home, with family | 20 (5.15) | 22 (5.31) | 34 (7.05) | 22 (5.34) | 8 (2.52) | 11 (3.00) | 166 (37.08) | 68 (15.94) | ||||||||
| In an apartment | 10 (16.18) | 7 (8.11) | 11 (17.68) | 4 (4.39) | 1 (1.83) | 7 (9.57) | 21 (26.30) | 6 (7.48) | ||||||||
*
No partner includes either single or divorced; with a partner includes either in a serious relationship, or engaged, or married.
**
In an apartment either alone or with a partner/roommate
p: p-value generated using Pearson’s Chi-square test; significance level is set at α = 0.05;
Med.: Medical use defined as use based on a doctor’s prescription note
Non-med.: Nonmedical use defined as use without a doctor’s note prescription or for longer periods than prescribed or for reasons other than what the medication is intended for