Psychometric evaluation of a Prescription Stimulant Expectancy Questionnaire.

Expectancies influence the initiation and maintenance of substance use. Given the increasing literature devoted to the rise of prescription stimulant misuse, an examination of expectancy effects associated with prescription stimulant use appears warranted. This study employed a revised version of the Prescription Stimulant Expectancy Questionnaire (PSEQ) and examined its psychometric properties in a nationwide sample of 547 participants. An exploratory factor analysis of the 46-item revised questionnaire (PSEQ-II) identified 4 factors: Cognitive Enhancement, Anxiety and Arousal, Social Enhancement, and Guilt and Dependence. The PSEQ-II successfully discriminated among user groups (i.e., nonusers, recreational users, medical users, recreational/medical users). Recreational/medical users held the strongest positive expectancies and nonusers held the weakest; negative expectancies were held most strongly by nonusers and weakest by medical users. Use of the PSEQ-II and knowledge of prescription stimulant-related expectancies may assist in the prevention and treatment of prescription stimulant misuse. PsycINFO Database Record 2010 APA, all rights reserved.