Abstract
The aim of this study was to verify the prevalence of use of psychoactive substances (PS) and its associated factors in undergraduate students of a university in southern Brazil. The study was carried out with 830 undergraduate students in the year 2016. The individuals answered a self-administered questionnaire about the PS and its prevalence of daily use, in the last 30 days or at any time of their lives, as well as socioeconomic conditions and academic variables. Caffeine-based energy drinks was the most consumed psychoactive substance (96.3%) among undergraduates in the last 30 days, followed by alcohol (64.0%). Among the illicit drugs most consumed in the last 30 days was marijuana (17.3%), while anxiolytics and amphetamines were the most prevalent psychoactive medicaments in the last 30 days. The prevalence of lifetime illicit drugs used by these students was 41.5%, where we highlight besides marijuana (38.6%) the high consumption of cocaine (7.8%), ecstasy (9.3%) and solvents. Socioeconomic and demographic factors such as gender, have children, religion, and financial background as well as academic variables were associated to recent consumption of these substances. This study concluded there is a high prevalence of use of PS among the undergraduate students, including illicit drugs.
Highlights
According to the World Drug Report (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2018), one in 20 adults used drugs in the year 2015, and Cannabis was the most widely used drug in the World (UNODC, 2018)
A cross-sectional study was performed and the sample consisted of undergraduate students of both genders, minimum 18 years of age, who were attending a course at the Federal University of Rio Grande (FURG) between March and November 2016
The use of alcohol at any time of the life was prevalent in more than 80% of the study population, their daily use is low in this population
Summary
According to the World Drug Report (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [UNODC], 2018), one in 20 adults used drugs in the year 2015 (prevalence above 5%), and Cannabis was the most widely used drug in the World (UNODC, 2018). There are numerous studies that focus on the prevalence of use of illicit drugs by the college individuals, government or official reports do not focus in this population. Studies around the world have pointed out a prevalence of illicit drug use among undergraduates higher than the average presented by World Drug Report (2018) for adults (Bitancourt, Tissot, Fidalgo, Galduróz, & Silveira Filho, 2016; Donald, 2017; Holloway & Bennett, 2018). Studies comparing the temporal evolution of illicit drug use report an escalate in the prevalence within the same institution (Oliveira et al, 2009; Silva, Malbergier, Stempliuk, & Andrade, 2006; Stempliuk, Barroso, Andrade, Nicastri, & Malbergier, 2005). The same studies and others have showed a high prevalence of non-prescription psychoactive drugs, whether recreational (Arria et al, 2010) or self-medication (Silva, Soares, & Muccillo-Baisch, 2012), as well as legal psychoactive drugs (such as alcohol, tobacco, caffeine and other power drinks)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
