The Effect of Prescription Drug use and Mental Illness on the Academic Performance of College Students Attending California State University, Fresno

The purpose of the study was to determine if there were significant differences in the academic performance of California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) students due to the effect of prescription drug use and mental illness with respect to age, gender, and grade level. This study used secondary data from the American College Health Association–National College Health Assessment II survey from Spring 2018. The Pearson Chi-Square Test was used to test significance among the variables of age, gender, and grade level. The study found no statistically significant differences in the academic performance of college students depending on gender. However, the study did find statistically significant differences in academic performance depending on the use of prescription drugs with regard to mental illness and the variables of age and grade level. The results of this study suggest that prescription drug use and mental illness influence college students’ academic performance. However, the researcher recommends that future studies include larger sample sizes and review other variables, such as race/ethnicity.