ABSTRACT

While the nonmedical use of prescription drugs to enhance cognitive performance (NMUPD-CE) has received increasing media attention and provoked ethical debates, the social drivers of misusing this health-related drug remain understudied. Therefore, this study examined how descriptive and injunctive norms as social influences affect decisions to engage in NMUPD-CE. We tested competing assumptions about whether moral acceptability and positive and negative outcome expectations mediate or moderate the social norms effects. We used data from a Germany-wide, web-based survey with a sample of adult nonusers who were recruited offline (N= 13,443). We found that 62.09% of the respondents indicated at least some willingness for NMUPD-CE. Positive associations occurred between this willingness and both social norms, high positive and low negative outcome expectations, as well as higher moral acceptability. Moral acceptability and positive outcome expectations partially mediated both social norm effects, while negative outcome expectations only partially mediated injunctive norms. Moreover, positive and negative outcome expectations also moderated both social norm effects. This study provides insights into the understanding of social influence in the context of substance misuse and beyond. It suggests that social norms operate via moral acceptability and outcome expectations, while outcome expectations also lead to differential effects of social norms.

摘要

虽然以非医疗方式使用处方药来提高认知能力 (NMUPD-CE) 受到了越来越多的媒体关注并引发了伦理辩论，但滥用这种与健康相关的药物的社会驱动因素仍未得到充分研究。因此，本研究考察了作为社会影响的描述性和指令性规范如何影响参与 NMUPD-CE 的决策。我们测试了关于道德可接受性和积极和消极结果预期是否调解或缓和社会规范影响的相互竞争的假设。我们使用了来自德国范围内基于网络的调查的数据，调查对象是线下招募的成年非用户样本 ( N= 13,443）。我们发现 62.09% 的受访者表示至少有一定的 NMUPD-CE 意愿。这种意愿与社会规范、高积极和低消极结果期望以及更高的道德可接受性之间存在积极联系。道德可接受性和积极的结果期望部分地介导了社会规范的影响，而消极的结果期望仅部分地介导了禁令规范。此外，积极和消极的结果预期也缓和了社会规范的影响。这项研究提供了对物质滥用及其他背景下社会影响的理解的见解。它表明社会规范通过道德可接受性和结果预期运作，而结果预期也会导致社会规范的不同影响。