ArticleThe South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa2017
Non-medical use of methylphenidate among medical students of the University of the Free State.
Article in The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic review on prevalence of ADHD, possible ADHD or ADHD symptoms in medical students.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2025Pooled it
- Prevalence of Ritalin Abuse and its Relationship with Demographic Characteristics Among Medical Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.Addiction & health · 2026Article
- Longitudinal study on the seasonal variation in methylphenidate consumption in the South African private healthcare sector.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2025Article
- Decriminalization of cannabis use in South Africa: The perspectives and health outcomes among medical students; A systematic qualitative review.Journal of public health research · 2025Review
- Methylphenidate and Its Impact on Redox Balance and Behavior.Journal of xenobiotics · 2025Review
- A Scoping Review of Mental Health Needs and Challenges among Medical Students within South African Universities.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2024Article
- Methylphenidate use and misuse among medical residents in Israel: a cross-sectional study.Human resources for health · 2023Article
- Review
- The Use and Impact of Cognitive Enhancers among University Students: A Systematic Review.Brain sciences · 2021Review
- Second and third year medical students' self-reported alcohol and substance use, smoking habits and academic performance at a South African medical school.Health SA = SA Gesondheid · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFaced with demanding training programmes, medical students may be more prone to use methylphenidate for non-medical purposes in order to improve concentration, alertness and academic performance.
aimThe study aimed to investigate the prevalence of the non-medical use of methylphenidate and knowledge of this drug among undergraduate medical students of the University of the Free State.
methodsThis was a cross-sectional study. A self-administered, anonymous questionnaire was distributed during lectures to all students in the five year groups of the undergraduate medical programme.
resultsOf the 643 undergraduate medical students, 541 completed the questionnaire (response rate: 84.1%). Approximately 11.0% of surveyed students were using methylphenidate at the time of the study, of which the majority (67.9%) used it for academic purposes and 70.6% received it from a medical health professional. Less than a third of users had been diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Methylphenidate users' median knowledge was greater than non-users, and methylphenidate knowledge increased from first-year and second-year students to third-year to fifth-year students. Median knowledge scores per year group ranged from 52.0% to 60.0%.
conclusionMethylphenidate is mainly used for non-medical purposes by medical students. Students generally have a low level of knowledge on methylphenidate. Specific information on methylphenidate should be included in lectures on stress management and study methods during the course of the medical curriculum.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.