Characteristics of psychoactive substances consumption among students of first and fifth year of Faculty of Medicine of Sarajevo University

Abstract

A psychoactive or psychotropic substance is a chemical substance that acts primarily upon the central nervous system, altering mental processes, e.g., cognition or affect. Their use can lead to addiction, so in common language ‘substance abuse’ implicate dependence-producing effect. In general, initiation to substance use happen during adolescence and early adulthood. The aim of this study was determining the pattern of psychoactive substance consumption among students at Faculty of Medicine of Sarajevo University. A cross-sectional study was conducted during May 2019 at Faculty of Medicine of Sarajevo University. The survey covered 102 students, who attended first and fifth year of study. The research instrument was a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. Results were expressed as percentages and means ± standard deviation. During statistical analysis we performed Chi-squared and the bivariate testes. A sample included 102 students, of which 66 (64.7%) were female and 36 (35.3%) were male, while 52 (51.0%) attended first year and 50 (49.0%) attended fifth year. The majority of students (91.2%) had consumed caffeine. Consumption of cigarettes reported 63.7% of students, and consumption of alcohol reported 60.8% of students. Statistically significant differences in consumption of alcohol (P<0.0005), THC (P<0.0005), cocaine (P=0.001), and amphetamine (P=0.017) were found between gender. Statistically significant differences in consumption of cigarettes (P=0.034), caffeine (P=0.017), alcohol (P=0.007), THC (P<0.0005), and sedatives (P=0.003) were found between two study group. The use of psychotropic substances in youth represents a serious public health problem. Students should implement their knowledge, not only in their practice environment, but in everyday life.