Abstract
Background: the nonmedical use of prescribed medications among adolescents has increased significantly in recent years. We aimed to identify the patterns of benzodiazepine nonmedical use and its evolution during the decade 2006–2016 among immigrant and native-born adolescent populations. Methods: we used individualized secondary data retrieved from the 2006–2016 Spanish State Survey on Drug Use in Secondary Education (ESTUDES) of the school-aged population. Using logistic multivariate regression models, we estimated the independent effect of each of these variables on nonmedical use. Two models were generated: one for immigrant adolescents and one for native-born adolescents. Results: during the decade 2006–2016, 2.81% of native-born and 3.36% of immigrant adolescent students made nonmedical use of benzodiazepines. Gender and socioeconomic status were found to be related to the nonmedical use of benzodiazepines. Consumption of illegal psychoactive substances, other than marijuana, was the variable of greatest value (aOR = 6.00, 95% CI 3.89–9.27). Perceived risks and drug availability were found to be predictors for the nonmedical use of benzodiazepines in both immigrant and native-born adolescents. Conclusion: in Spain, patterns of benzodiazepine nonmedical use among immigrant and native-born adolescents are similar. The results of this study refute certain stereotypes related to consumption of substances among immigrant adolescents, identifying them as a risk group.
Highlights
Adolescence is a time for learning, skill acquisition, and experimentation and, as such, sets the stage for a large portion of behavior later in adult life; but it is a time at high risk for the onset of psychoactive substance consumption.Nonmedical use of prescription drugs has increased significantly among our younger population [1]
Our results were obtained from 9062 native-born and 1082 immigrant adolescents from different ethnicities (53% Latin American, 18% European, and 13% African)
Regarding the use of other psychoactive substances, such as marijuana, our results show that native-born adolescents who made nonmedical use of benzodiazepines were more likely to use marijuana than immigrant adolescents
Summary
Nonmedical use of prescription drugs has increased significantly among our younger population [1]. A report from the U.S entitled “Monitoring the Future” indicated that the abuse of prescription drugs for nonmedical use reached values of 4.7% among adolescents aged 12 to 17 [2], with psychedelic drugs the most frequently used. The last European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD) showed a 6%. Rate of nonmedical use of tranquilizers and sedatives among European adolescents [3]. A recent study on U.S high school seniors found that 7.5% of these students had made nonmedical use of anxiolytics at least once in their lifetimes [4]. European adolescents from migrant families represent one-quarter of all school-aged adolescents [5].
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