The Relationship Between the Use of Prescription Medication and Substance Abuse in College Students with Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine whether college students with disabilities who regularly take prescription medications were at risk of developing problems with substance abuse. Three hundred and twelve college students with disabilities volunteered to participate in the study. The participants completed the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI), a demographic profile, and returned both to the investigator. A Chi square test of dependence was used to determine if a significant difference in the incidence of substance abuse existed between students who took prescription medications and those who did not. Results showed that college students with disabilities who regularly took prescription medications were more likely to be identified as substance abusers than those who did not regularly take prescription drugs.