The Use of Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs, and "Soft Enhancers" for Cognitive Enhancement among Swiss Secondary School Students.
The use of prescription or recreational drugs for cognitive enhancement (CE) is prevalent among students. However, the prevalence of CE among Swiss school students is unknown. We therefore performed a cross-sectional online survey including ≥ 16-year-old students from bridge-year schools (10th grade...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2015-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4624689?pdf=render |
| _version_ | 1818233538250539008 |
|---|---|
| author | Evangelia Liakoni Michael P Schaub Larissa J Maier Gaëlle-Vanessa Glauser Matthias E Liechti |
| author_facet | Evangelia Liakoni Michael P Schaub Larissa J Maier Gaëlle-Vanessa Glauser Matthias E Liechti |
| author_sort | Evangelia Liakoni |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The use of prescription or recreational drugs for cognitive enhancement (CE) is prevalent among students. However, the prevalence of CE among Swiss school students is unknown. We therefore performed a cross-sectional online survey including ≥ 16-year-old students from bridge-year schools (10th grade), vocational schools, and upper secondary schools (10th-12th grade) in the Canton of Zurich to investigate the prevalence of and motives for the use of prescription drugs, recreational drugs, and/or freely available soft enhancers for CE. A total of 1,139 students were included. Of these, 54.5% reported the use of prescription drugs (9.2%), recreational drugs including alcohol (6.2%), or soft enhancers (51.3%) explicitly for CE at least once in their lives. The last-year and last-month prevalence for CE considering all substances was 45.5% and 39.5%, respectively. Soft enhancers were the substances that were most commonly used (ever, last-year, and last-month, respectively), including energy drinks (33.3%, 28.4%, and 24.6%), coffee (29.8%, 25.1%, and 21.9%), and tobacco (12.6%, 9.3%, and 8.3%). CE with methylphenidate was less prevalent (4.0%, 2.8%, and 2.0%). However, the use of prescription drugs, alcohol, or illegal drugs for CE was reported by 13.3% of the participants. The most common motives for use were to stay awake and improve concentration. CE was more prevalent among students who reported higher levels of stress or performance pressure and students with psychiatric disorders. In conclusion, half of the school students had used a substance at least once in their lives to improve school performance. Soft enhancers were most commonly used. Prevalence rates were similar to those reported by Swiss university students, indicating that the use of prescription or recreational drugs for CE already occurs before starting higher education. Performance pressure, stress, and psychiatric disorders may be associated with CE. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T11:23:46Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12d21fd794fe4da7956223b6eb403afb |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T11:23:46Z |
| publishDate | 2015-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-12d21fd794fe4da7956223b6eb403afb2022-12-22T00:25:57ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-011010e014128910.1371/journal.pone.0141289The Use of Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs, and "Soft Enhancers" for Cognitive Enhancement among Swiss Secondary School Students.Evangelia LiakoniMichael P SchaubLarissa J MaierGaëlle-Vanessa GlauserMatthias E LiechtiThe use of prescription or recreational drugs for cognitive enhancement (CE) is prevalent among students. However, the prevalence of CE among Swiss school students is unknown. We therefore performed a cross-sectional online survey including ≥ 16-year-old students from bridge-year schools (10th grade), vocational schools, and upper secondary schools (10th-12th grade) in the Canton of Zurich to investigate the prevalence of and motives for the use of prescription drugs, recreational drugs, and/or freely available soft enhancers for CE. A total of 1,139 students were included. Of these, 54.5% reported the use of prescription drugs (9.2%), recreational drugs including alcohol (6.2%), or soft enhancers (51.3%) explicitly for CE at least once in their lives. The last-year and last-month prevalence for CE considering all substances was 45.5% and 39.5%, respectively. Soft enhancers were the substances that were most commonly used (ever, last-year, and last-month, respectively), including energy drinks (33.3%, 28.4%, and 24.6%), coffee (29.8%, 25.1%, and 21.9%), and tobacco (12.6%, 9.3%, and 8.3%). CE with methylphenidate was less prevalent (4.0%, 2.8%, and 2.0%). However, the use of prescription drugs, alcohol, or illegal drugs for CE was reported by 13.3% of the participants. The most common motives for use were to stay awake and improve concentration. CE was more prevalent among students who reported higher levels of stress or performance pressure and students with psychiatric disorders. In conclusion, half of the school students had used a substance at least once in their lives to improve school performance. Soft enhancers were most commonly used. Prevalence rates were similar to those reported by Swiss university students, indicating that the use of prescription or recreational drugs for CE already occurs before starting higher education. Performance pressure, stress, and psychiatric disorders may be associated with CE.http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4624689?pdf=render |
| spellingShingle | Evangelia Liakoni Michael P Schaub Larissa J Maier Gaëlle-Vanessa Glauser Matthias E Liechti The Use of Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs, and "Soft Enhancers" for Cognitive Enhancement among Swiss Secondary School Students. PLoS ONE |
| title | The Use of Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs, and "Soft Enhancers" for Cognitive Enhancement among Swiss Secondary School Students. |
| title_full | The Use of Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs, and "Soft Enhancers" for Cognitive Enhancement among Swiss Secondary School Students. |
| title_fullStr | The Use of Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs, and "Soft Enhancers" for Cognitive Enhancement among Swiss Secondary School Students. |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Use of Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs, and "Soft Enhancers" for Cognitive Enhancement among Swiss Secondary School Students. |
| title_short | The Use of Prescription Drugs, Recreational Drugs, and "Soft Enhancers" for Cognitive Enhancement among Swiss Secondary School Students. |
| title_sort | use of prescription drugs recreational drugs and soft enhancers for cognitive enhancement among swiss secondary school students |
| url | http://europepmc.org/articles/PMC4624689?pdf=render |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT evangelialiakoni theuseofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents AT michaelpschaub theuseofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents AT larissajmaier theuseofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents AT gaellevanessaglauser theuseofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents AT matthiaseliechti theuseofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents AT evangelialiakoni useofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents AT michaelpschaub useofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents AT larissajmaier useofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents AT gaellevanessaglauser useofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents AT matthiaseliechti useofprescriptiondrugsrecreationaldrugsandsoftenhancersforcognitiveenhancementamongswisssecondaryschoolstudents |