Risk for Prescription Stimulant Misuse Consequences Varies as a Function of Motive and Eating Disorder Symptoms

Prescription stimulant misuse (PSM) is prevalent among undergraduates and associated with negative consequences. Prior work demonstrates that individuals with high eating disorder (ED) symptoms are at increased risk for PSM; however, few studies have examined relations between ED symptoms and PSM consequences, nor factors that may modulate this relation. Thus, this study examined relations among ED symptoms, PSM motives (academic, enhancement, coping, and weight loss), and PSM consequences. A multisite sample of undergraduate students endorsing past-year PSM (N = 208; M_age=19.62, 65% female, 38.9% college freshmen, 62% white non-Hispanic) completed measures of PSM motives and consequences, and ED symptoms. Four negative binomial regression models examined main effects and interactions between specific PSM motive and ED symptoms on PSM consequences, controlling for biological sex and age. Interaction effects were found in the weight loss and academic motive models. For students low in either motive, PSM consequences increased as ED symptoms increased; however, for students high in either motive, ED symptoms were not associated with greater consequences. In the academic model, students who were high in ED symptoms but low in academic motives reported the greatest number of consequences. ED symptoms were significant main effect predictors of PSM consequences in the coping motives model, but not enhancement motives model. Thus, the relation between ED symptoms and PSM consequences may depend upon motive for use.