“Does anybody have ibuprofen?”: An investigation of Emory undergraduates’ over-the-counter analgesic use Público
Crusey, Elisabeth (Spring 2020)
Abstract
Over-the-counter analgesics are available to the everyday consumer in stores and pharmacies across the United States. Although obtaining them doesn’t require advice or permission from a healthcare professional, users can experience harmful side effects. At Emory University, undergraduate students regularly use and share over-the-counter analgesics. Yet, how this population uses them is largely unknown and the very components of ‘use’ are not universal. This thesis uses qualitative methods to investigate how Emory undergraduates use over-the-counter analgesics and to discover if there are differences in the ways men and women participants discuss their use. Twenty-seven semi-structured interviews were conducted with Emory undergraduate students (thirteen men and fourteen women) to learn about their experiences with and feelings about using over-the-counter analgesics. This thesis discusses the themes that emerged from these interviews, including participants’ experiences with pain, illness, healing, and a culture of productivity and performance at Emory. My findings indicate that participants’ over-the-counter analgesic ‘use’ is more than just swallowing a pill. It involves their attitudes towards self-medicating pain, sources of information, consumption practices, and perceptions of others. Participants’ trust in this type of medication, providers, peers, and themselves perpetuates a demand for over-the-counter analgesics and contributes to their use among Emory undergraduates.
Table of Contents
CHAPTER ONE: Introduction...………………….……………….……………………….…..................1
A brief summary of over-the-counter analgesics in the United States……………….…..2
What are analgesics?…………………….……………………….………………..................2
OTCA use and misuse …………………….…………………………………...…..................3
Markets, movements, and OTCAs ………………….…………………………....................4
Anthropology and OTCAs…………………….………………………………...………..….….…...8
Purpose of this study and research questions …………………….……………………..….…11
CHAPTER TWO: Methods ……………………………………....…………………………….….….….….15
Participants …………………….……………………….……………………………….….….….…...15
Procedure …………………….……………………….………………………………….….….….…...16
Data analysis …………………….…………………….…………………………….…...….….….….17
A note about gender in this thesis …………………….……………………………….…….……17
Limitations …………………….…………………….………………………………......….….….…..19
CHAPTER THREE: To Use or Not to Use? Participants’ Attitudes towards Self-
Medicating Pain with Over-the-Counter Analgesics…………...................…………………….21
All pain is not equal …………………….…………………….………………………………….......22
Gender and pain …………………….……………………….………………………….……..26
What is self-medication?…………………….……………………….……………………………..…26
Gender and self-medication………………………………………………………..………...28
Attitudes towards self-medicating pain with OTCAs …………………….……………….…..29
Pill-positive attitudes …………………….……………………….…………….…………......32
Pill-negative attitudes …………………….……………………….…………………………...34
From pill-positive to pill-negative …………………….……………………………………...39
Pill-questioning attitudes …………………….……………………….………………….....…40
Conclusion ……………………………………….……………………….……………………………...42
CHAPTER FOUR: How Participants Learn about and Consume Over-the-Counter
Analgesics……………………………………………………………………………...............................….44
Learning about OTCAs ………………………………………………………………………….….…45
Consuming OTCAs ……………………………………………………………………………….…...47
Awareness of brand and generic names……………………………………………………..…..49
Ingesting OTCAs ……………………………………………………………………………………....54
Follows directions ……………………………………………………………………………....56
Takes two ……………………………………………………………………….………………...57
More pain = more pills ………………………………………………………………………....58
Athletes’ OTCA Use …………………………………………………………………………………...61
Conclusion …………………………………………………………………………………………….…64
CHAPTER FIVE: Is Sharing Caring? Participants’ Perceptions of their Peers’
OTCA Use ……………………………………………………………………………...........................….….67
Why do Emory students use OTCAs?…………………………………………………….………..70
Participants’ perceptions of Emory students’ adherence to OTCA directions…………71
Others follow directions ………..…………………………………………………………...…74
Others do not follow directions………………………………………………………….........74
It depends ………………………………………………………………………………………...75
Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………………...…...76
CHAPTER SIX: Discussion………………………………………………………………………………….…78
Appendix A. Interview Questions Guide….……………………………………………………….………...83
References …………………………………………………………………………………………………………..84
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