Non-medical methylphenidate use was low (3.8%) among medical students and was associated with peer exposure and prior psychiatric contact, rather than Type A personality traits.
Cross-Sectional (n=600)
No
Is non-medical methylphenidate use associated with Type A personality traits among medical students?
Non-medical methylphenidate use among Turkish medical students is low (3.8%) and associated with peer exposure and prior psychiatric contact rather than Type A personality traits.
AIM: To estimate the prevalence of non-medical methylphenidate use (NMU) in Turkish medical students and its association with Type A personality. METHOD: This cross-sectional study surveyed 600 of 1,275 invited medical students (47.1%) at a single public medical faculty in Türkiye in 2025. A sociodemographic/methylphenidate-use questionnaire and the Type A Personality Traits Scale were administered. NMU was operationalized as methylphenidate use for academic or social performance enhancement in students without clinician-diagnosed ADHD, regardless of prescription status. Type A differences were tested with MANOVA. Given the low event count, Firth penalized logistic regression served as the primary multivariable analysis, with standard logistic regression reported for comparison. RESULTS: = 13); 23 students (3.8%) met NMU criteria, most commonly for academic enhancement. Awareness of methylphenidate and of peer use rose markedly from preclinical to clinical years, whereas actual use did not. Type A scores did not differ between NMU and non-NMU students. In the Firth model, peer NMU awareness and past psychiatric consultation remained associated with NMU; tentative inverse associations for male sex and the standardized Type A score should be interpreted as exploratory given the low events-per-variable ratio (3.3). CONCLUSION: NMU prevalence was low and more closely linked to contextual correlates-peer exposure and prior psychiatric contact-than to Type A traits, which did not show a robust or stable association across analyses. Multivariable findings require replication. Prevention may benefit from focusing on peer-network dynamics and mental-health support rather than personality-based risk profiling.
Sarı et al. (Fri,) conducted a cross-sectional in Non-medical methylphenidate use (n=600). Type A personality traits vs. Lower Type A trait scores was evaluated on Prevalence of non-medical methylphenidate use (NMU). Non-medical methylphenidate use was low (3.8%) among medical students and was associated with peer exposure and prior psychiatric contact, rather than Type A personality traits.