Beliefs about cough medicine abuse among Chinese young people in Hong Kong

Abstract

Beliefs about cough medicine abuse among Chinese young people were examined using the Beliefs about Cough Medicine Abuse Scale (BACMAS; developed by Shek). A total of 225 Chinese young people, including 160 cough medicine abusers and 65 noncough-medicine abusers, participated in this study. Results showed that the scale was internally consistent, and was able to differentiate between those who did and did not abuse cough medicine. Higher BACMAS scores were related to higher levels of endorsement of cough medicine abuse and severity of consumption, thus providing support for the concurrent and construct validities of the scale. The respondents abusing cough medicine generally did not perceive the benefits of abusing cough medicine and they recognized the harmful effects of such abuse. However, 40.7% of them believed that cough medicine was not addictive and 57% believed that there was no harm in associating with friends who abused cough medicine. Results suggest that it is important to understand the beliefs of cough medicine abusers regarding cough medicine abuse.