Preventing Prescription Stimulant Diversion and Medication Misuse Via a Web-Based Simulation Intervention

Brief summary

Reproduced verbatim from the official ClinicalTrials.gov record. Not medical advice.

Half or nearly half of college students with prescriptions divert their stimulant medication, and a similarly high percentage misuse their medication or use someone else's prescription. Diversion may lead students to go without needed medication to mitigate their symptoms, increasing their risk for unintentional injuries and substance use. Further, diversion perpetuates the non-medical use of prescription stimulants (NMUPS), which has become increasingly common among college students. Diversion also perpetuates medical misuse of stimulants among students with prescriptions, which is associated with poorer attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) symptom management and may increase the risk for addictive disorders. There are no evidence-based interventions targeting diversion of stimulants in college students. Being approached for one's medication is a key risk factor for diversion, as is medication non-adherence and believing NMUPS and diversion are more prevalent than they are. Accordingly, in this multi-site study, the investigators will conduct a randomized, controlled trial of 300 college-attending adults with current stimulant prescriptions to examine the preliminary efficacy and feasibility of a single-session, computer-based simulation intervention (with two booster sessions) to prevent prescription stimulant diversion and medication misuse and compare it to a placebo condition. The intervention, which is grounded in social learning theory and the theory of planned behavior uniquely engages students in interactive discussions with virtual humans to (a) learn about the actual prevalence of NMUPS and diversion and their related risks, (b) practice using refusal strategies when approached for their medication in high-risk situations, and (c) understand how to effectively communicate with prescribers and avoid medication misuse. The primary aims are to determine if the intervention reduces diversion, intentions to divert, and medication misuse, and to assess user satisfaction with the intervention. The secondary aims are to examine change in potential mechanisms of action targeted in the intervention, such as self-efficacy to resist diversion, knowledge about diversion and NMUPS, use of behavioral strategies to resist requests for one's medication, and prescriber communication. If effective, the intervention could be readily and widely disseminated to college counseling centers, psychiatrists, pediatricians, and other prescribers.

About this trial record page

What this page shows

Public field values for ClinicalTrials.gov record NCT04885166, including study identification, conditions, interventions, eligibility (age, sex, healthy volunteer), timeline, and U.S. site list.

What this page does not do

No medical advice, eligibility judgments, treatment recommendations, study quality scoring, or AI-generated medical summaries. No site contact phone numbers, emails, or investigator names.

Where the data comes from

Sourced from the official ClinicalTrials.gov public API. The official record is the source of truth.

Last refresh

Last update posted Apr 7, 2026 · Synced Sep 6, 2026

Related: full search, browse by condition, browse by drug or therapy, browse by sponsor, browse by U.S. city.