Prescription stimulant misuse avoidance self-efficacy: Correlates and moderation by race/ethnicity

This study examined whether personality characteristics, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomology, psychological distress, and religiosity were associated with prescription stimulant avoidance self-efficacy and whether these relationships were moderated by race/ethnicity among a probability sample of 1,053 college students. We used regression analyses to examine associations between avoidance self-efficacy and the independent variables of interest, and moderation analyses to identify whether these associations were moderated by race/ethnicity. Inattention, hyperactivity, sensation seeking, and psychological distress were inversely associated with prescription stimulant avoidance self-efficacy, whereas religiosity had a direct association. Moreover, greater inattention was a risk factor for lower self-efficacy among students identifying as White but not for students identifying as Asian. Increased religiosity was a risk factor for students identifying as Latinx, whereas it was a protective factor for students identifying as White. Prevention implications are discussed.