Abstract
Abstract: Introduction: The use of psychotropic substances is highly prevalent among students in the health area. This situation reveals an inversion of values, in which future professionals who will give advice on drug use and abuse make inadequate consumption of drugs. Objective: This research aims to collect and comparatively analyze the profile of psychotropic substance use by health students, as well as analyze the subjective significance of drug use by health students. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, with a quantitative sample of 745 students, aged 15 to 70 years, from the Psychology, Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition and Physiotherapy courses. A questionnaire adapted from the “I National Survey on the Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs by University Students in the 27 Brazilian Capitals” was used for data collection. Regarding the qualitative work, a focal group was carried out, whose participants comprised ten students, of which three were Psychology students, three were Physiotherapy students, one was a medical student and one a Nursing student. Results: The study results showed that the psychotropic substances most often used by the participants were: Alcohol, Tobacco and Marijuana, in addition to Tranquilizers and Anxiolytics. Furthermore, in comparison with the other courses, Psychology students were the ones who used the most drugs in general, followed by Nutrition and Medicine. Moreover, drug use was perceived as a means of escape from psychological distress, as well as a way to maximize pleasure. For university students, the use of psychotropic drugs is seen as an combination of interpersonal relationships, being also influenced by the desire to improve academic performance. Conclusion: The study data disclosed a high consumption of psychotropic drugs by university students in the health area, a condition associated to psychological distress and which reveals a demand for support and assistance in terms of substance dependence. It is important that further research on the subject be carried out, so that effective public policies can be implemented.
Highlights
The use of psychotropic substances is highly prevalent among students in the health area
The study data disclosed a high consumption of psychotropic drugs by university students in the health area, a condition associated to psychological distress and which reveals a demand for support and assistance in terms of substance dependence
The research aimed to analyze the prevalence of psychotropic drug use by university students from the health area, as well as to understand the subjective signification of drug use by these students
Summary
The use of psychotropic substances is highly prevalent among students in the health area. Inappropriate drug use by university students is quite prevalent in today’s society[1,2,3], mainly by students of Medicine and other health areas[4,5,6], such as Psychology, Physiotherapy, and Nutrition, among others. In the current contemporary scenario, exteriority has become the current value: external signs, such as consumer goods and social status, have become the markers of each person’s role[10]. In this context, the destinies of desire have taken on an exhibitionist and self-centered direction[10,11]. Marked by the search for the enhancement of one’s own image and by the demand for performance, the search for immediate and continuous satisfaction of desires have become the predominant values[10,12]
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