ArticleEinstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil)2019
Prevalence of and factors associated with the use of methylphenidate for cognitive enhancement among university students.
Article in Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil), 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
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Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 53 citations in OpenAlex.
- Methylphenidate (Ritalin) does not improve exam performance in an experimental setting.Psychopharmacology · 2026Trial
- The rising use of cognitive enhancement drugs and predictors of use during COVID-19: findings from a cross-sectional survey of students and university staff in the UK.Frontiers in psychology · 2024Article
- Adverse events and safety concerns among university students who misused stimulants to increase academic performance.Einstein (Sao Paulo, Brazil) · 2024Article
- Article
- The Use and Impact of Cognitive Enhancers among University Students: A Systematic Review.Brain sciences · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo estimate the prevalence of and factors associated with the use of methylphenidate for cognitive enhancement among undergraduate students.
methodsSimple random sample of students of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (n=438), invited to answer an online questionnaire about the use of methylphenidate. Data collection occurred from September 2014 to January 2015. The sample was described by means of proportions, means and standard deviations. A multivariate analysis was performed using the Classification and Regression Tree algorithm to classify the cases of use of methylphenidate for cognitive enhancement in groups, based on the exposure variables.
resultsOut of 378 students included, 5.8% (n=22) reported using methylphenidate for cognitive enhancement; in that, 41% (9/22) in the 4 weeks prior to the survey. The housing situation was the variable most often associated with the use of methylphenidate for cognitive enhancement. Eleven students reported using methylphenidate for cognitive enhancement and other purposes 4 weeks prior to the survey, 27% of whom had no medical prescription to purchase it.
conclusionThe use of methylphenidate for cognitive enhancement is frequent among Brazilian undergraduate students and should be considered a serious public health problem, especially due to risks of harm and adverse effects associated with its use.
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Registered trials
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