Substance Use and Addictive Behavior in Spanish Adolescents in Secondary School.

Elena García-García,María-Lara Martínez-Gimeno,Joselin Miranda-Gómez,Enrique de Dios Zapata-Cornejo,Gema Escobar-Aguilar,José Alberto Benítez-Andrades

doi:10.3390/healthcare9020186

Elena García-García, María-Lara Martínez-Gimeno + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare9020186

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Abstract

The detection and prevention of addictive behaviour at an early age is essential given the relationship between the age of the onset of consumption and the appearance of addiction disorders. The aim of this study was to describe the behavior related to substance use and addictive behaviors in adolescents at secondary school from 12 to 16 years of age. A cross-sectional descriptive study has been conducted. The prevalence of consumption of different addictive substances (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, cocaine) and addictive behaviours (use of social networks and video games) were collated, and the influence of the surrounding social environment and risk perception were evaluated. The final sample was 1298 students. Alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use reflect the prevalence of last month’s consumption: 14% (11.8–15.6), 15% (13.4–17.4) and 3% (1.9–2.7) respectively. 76% of the sample frequently use the Internet (5–7 days per week). There is a positive association between the frequency of use and use in the immediate environment. The relationships found show the need for educational and preventive intervention aimed at parents and students that will allow them to know and effectively deal with possible problems associated with the consumption of addictive substances.

Highlights

The World Drug Report 2019 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reveals that at least 5.5% of the world’s adult population (271 million people) had used drugs in the previous year [1]
In assessing the relationship between students’ addictive behaviors and their social environment, we found that the addictive behaviors adopted by friends are statistically significantly related to students’ behavior in all the variables analyzed
The data obtained in this study shows the importance of the family and the immediate environment in the image that adolescents have of the consumption of substances, and of addictive behaviors such as the Internet, social networks and video games, with the latter being the least treated and informed in school and family environments [22]

Summary

Introduction

The World Drug Report 2019 of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) reveals that at least 5.5% of the world’s adult population (271 million people) had used drugs in the previous year [1]. Global figures inform us that the average age for the onset of consumption of the most prevalent substances, such as alcohol and tobacco, is between 13 and 14, 8.50% of students start drinking alcohol and taking illegal and medical drugs between the ages of 12 and 14 (Ketamine, hallucinogens, inhalants at 12; amphetamines, San Pedro, Crack and others at 13; and tranquillisers and stimulants at 12 and 9) [1] This coincides with other studies that report the onset of substance use such as tobacco, alcohol and cannabis in pre-adolescence (9–13 years), in Western countries [5]. The prevalence of these problems in adolescents is between 4–8%, and they are considerably higher than in the general adult population, which is between 1–3% [4]

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