University students' attributions for abstinence from synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones

Synthetic cannabinoids and synthetic cathinones are two increasingly available and potentially dangerous classes of substances.

We designed this study to test whether university students rated the influence of different types of reasons for abstaining differently as a function of type of drug (synthetic cannabinoids vs. synthetic cathinones) and gender (male vs. female).

Using a web-based survey, 176 male and 437 female undergraduate university students rated the degree to which each of 42 reasons for not taking drugs influenced their abstinence from those two classes of substances.

Exploratory factor analyses suggested four subscales of reasons applicable to both substances: (1) psychological and behavioral impairment, (2) somatic and physiological concerns, (3) social approval and self-image concerns, and (4) insufficient knowledge and limited access. Both men and women rated all four subscales of reasons as having more influence on their abstinence from synthetic cathinones than synthetic cannabinoids, and women rated each subscale except somatic and physiological concerns as having more influence than did men.

Although there were main effects for type of drug, because students typically reported the same types of reasons as being more or less influential for both classes of substances, prevention interventions could focus simultaneously on reasons to avoid or delay use of both types of substances.