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In this paper, Wanja Wolff and Sandra Asantewaa Boama investigated the frequency of drug instrumentalization (DI) among a sample of university students from Ghana. Such cross-cultural research is much needed, as research on functional drug use in non-Western countries is scarce so far. Self-reported academic stress and religiosity were assessed as potential correlates of DI.

In their sample of 669 university students the frequency of DI varied as a function of the specific drug × goal combination between 0.6% and 24.7%. Religious faith was associated with less DI for all measured substance classes and academic stress was only associated with prescription drug DI. Religious faith and academic stress interacted in predicting lifestyle drug DI and prescription drug DI.

They conclude that the frequency of DI in Ghanaian students was markedly lower than in Western samples and this was also the case for DI goals most closely related to NE. In addition, religious faith was associated with less drug use, supporting the claim that religion might serve as a buffer against drug use.

At the chair of sport psychology, we are interested in researching functional substance (ab)use from a self-regulatory perspective (click here to learn more). Thus, we are interested in forms of substance (ab)use, where individuals use substance as means (i.e., instruments) to achieve certain goals (i.e., improved performance).