Co-occurring addiction problems among high school students in Sousse (Tunisia)

Abstract

Abstract Background Adolescence is a transitory period characterized by psychological, physical and emotional changes. Teenagers seek new experiences and engage in a range of risky behaviors, including the consumption of psychoactive substances that lead to addiction problems. Adolescent addiction represents a major public health and safety issue. Addictions co-occur in the same individual, increasing the risk of negative outcomes and health problems. We aimed to determine the prevalence of occurring and co-occurring addiction behaviors among high school students in the region of Sousse and to specify the risk factors. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted from February 5 to March 14, 2018 in public high schools in the governorate of Sousse. The data were collected by anonymous self-administered questionnaire, then processed and analyzed using the SPSS software version 10. Results A total of 1399 high school students were included in our study. An average age of 17±2.28 years and a female predominance (60.5%) were noted. The prevalence of tobacco product use and alcohol consumption was 20.9% and 10.1% respectively. The prevalence of illicit substance use was 7%. Facebook and video game addiction were reported among 36.1% and 35.3% high school students respectively. The analysis of co-occurring addiction problems showed that 12.2% and 4.5% had two and three addiction problems, respectively. Almost 3% of included adolescents had the maximum number of four addiction problems. Multivariate analysis showed that co-occurring addiction increases among boys, participants that repeated the grade and among those with moderate or severe depression, anxiety and alexithymia. Conclusions The findings have implications for identifying the risk factors of co-occurring addictive behaviors, and the development of primary prevention strategies resulting from such factors Key messages The prevalence of addictive behavior is very high in middle school students. Understanding the risk factors of co-occurrence addictive problems is important for prevention program planning.