Abstract
BackgroundRecent evidence from Western countries suggests that private school students are more prone to drug use. Such an evidence is lacking in Muslim countries. The aim of this study was to examine whether the risk of drug use is higher in private schools than public schools.MethodsThis cross sectional study was conducted on 650 tenth grade students of Kerman city, the center of largest province of Iran using cluster sampling. Well-validated questionnaires regarding current, lifetime substance use, and perceived use by classmates were utilized. Substances included in the questionnaire were waterpipe, cigarette, alcohol, marijuana, opium, methamphetamine, and Naas. Drug Use Tendency Scale was used to measure the attitudes of students towards drug use.ResultsThe response rate was 93.7%. More than 82% of sample were public school students (n = 504). Current use of cigarette and marijuana was higher in private schools (12.2 and 3.0%, respectively) than public schools (4.4 and 0.5%, respectively) (P < 0.05). Perceived prevalence of cigarette smoking by classmates was higher among private school students.ConclusionDespite the popular belief that private schools are better than public schools regarding the risk of substance use, students who attend private schools may be at a higher risk of turning to some drugs comparing to public schools in Iran.
Highlights
Recent evidence from Western countries suggests that private school students are more prone to drug use
More than 82% of sample were from public schools (n = 504)
Our study revealed that private school students scored similar on drug use tendency comparing public school students
Summary
Recent evidence from Western countries suggests that private school students are more prone to drug use. Parents believe that sending their child to private schools might better prepare them for the future [11] They think that pupils who go to private schools are less likely to suffer from drug use since privileged students are better educated about anti-drug life skills programs and the private schools’ environment is less risky. A research conducted on upper middle-class youth in affluent communities of United States (US) revealed that those who go to private schools are at higher likelihood of drug and alcohol use [13]. Another US study pointed that attending schools with a high proportion of affluent schoolmates increased the risk of drug use [14]
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