Nursing students' stress levels, attitude toward drugs, and drug use

This study investigated relationships among nursing students' drug use and two variables usually assumed to contribute to the development of chemical dependency in nurses, i.e., stress and positive attitudes about drugs. Drug use was defined as the use of any psychoactive substance including prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, recreational drugs, nicotine, and alcohol. Questionnaires, were distributed to senior-year nursing students and a comparison group of seniors in liberal arts. The only significant difference in reported drug use was nursing students' more frequent use of over-the-counter analgesics. There were no significant differences between nursing and liberal arts majors with regard to three symptoms of stress. Nursing students reported more positive attitudes toward the use of some drugs than peers.