The Prevalence of Substance Use Disorder Among University Students in Amman, Jordan

Abstract

Background and objectives: Substance misuse is a growing global health problem with particular relevance to university students. Despite this being a significant health problem among an important age group, there is a need for more data on university students in the Middle East. In this study, we aim to assess the prevalence of substance misuse among university students in 3 universities in Jordan to provide up-to-date data. Methodology: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. Participants were recruited from three governmental universities in Jordan. An online multiple-choice questionnaire was distributed via QR code, and SPSS version 25.0 was used to analyze the gathered data. Results: A total of 1184 participants were recruited, consisting of 729 (61.6%) female and 455 (38.4%) male participants. From the total sample, the lifetime prevalence of illegal substance misuse was 11.8% (n=140), from which the most misused substance reported was sleeping drugs, including benzodiazepine 45% (n=63). Of our total sample, 38.8% (n=453) for smoking tobacco and 6.2% (n=73) for alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Substance misuse among university students was high compared to the general population’s prevalence, and it is believed to be underestimated. The results of this study that capture substance misuse prevalence and the identification of associated factors provide up-to-date data that is potentially informative for further analyses and useful to establish awareness campaigns that aim to enhance health status and the ultimate quality of life among young adults. Keywords: Alcohol, Illicit substances, drugs, University student, Smoking, Substance misuse.