Some parents engage in the potentially unhealthy and morally debateable parenting practice of giving prescription stimulant drugs to healthy children to boost their school and extracurricular performance. However, the parents' underlying reasoning remains unexamined. This web-based study (N_Respondents = 1360) simultaneously investigates eight experimentally-varied situational (dis-)incentives (e.g., financial gains and drug properties) within a factorial vignette survey (N_Vignettes = 256), Machiavellianism as a measured socially relevant personality trait, and possible interaction effects. Results show that approximately 40% of the described situations (N_Evaluations = 5440) provoked some willingness to medicate healthy children. Multilevel mixed-effect models revealed that this willingness was higher, for example, with increasing financial gains and weaker side effects. Machiavellians disclosed a higher willingness. They were more responsive to financial gains and threats (e.g., probable side effects). Respondents’ sex, age, ethnicity, and experience with prescription drugs also had effects. Prevention measures might emphasize the dangers and limited potential of prescription drugs for healthy children.

一些父母参与了潜在的不健康和道德上有争议的育儿实践，即给健康的孩子服用处方兴奋剂，以提高他们的学业和课外表现。然而，父母的潜在推理仍未得到检验。这项基于网络的研究 ( N _Respondents  = 1360) 同时调查了在因子小插曲调查 ( N _Vignettes  = 256) 中的八种实验变化的情境（不利）激励因素（例如，经济收益和药物特性），将马基雅维利主义作为衡量的社会相关性人格特质，以及可能的互动效果。结果表明，大约 40% 的描述情况（N次_评估 = 5440) 激发了一些为健康儿童用药的意愿。多级混合效应模型显示，这种意愿更高，例如，随着财务收益的增加和副作用的减弱。马基雅维利主义者透露出更高的意愿。他们对财务收益和威胁（例如，可能的副作用）更敏感。受访者的性别、年龄、种族和使用处方药的经验也有影响。预防措施可能会强调处方药对健康儿童的危险和有限的潜力。