Factors determining the use of stimulants and sedatives by secondary school students

Horoszkiewicz, Krzysztof; Marcisz-Dyla, Ewa; Marcisz, C

doi:10.5114/ain.2022.118095

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

References 18 publications

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“…This may be related to alcohol consumption, which is known to be a predictor of other drugs usage (for example nicotine). A reduced number of occasions to drink alcohol (during lockdown) could entail a small decrease in psychostimulants or cannabinoids [ 24 ]. It can also be suggested that in the early days of the pandemic, the supply chains of psychoactive drugs may have been disrupted and their availability reduced.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Alcohol, Cannabinoids, Psychostimulants, and Sedatives before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Students in 40 European Countries

Babicki

2022

IJERPH

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In March 2020, the WHO announced the COVID-19 pandemic, which has been ongoing for over 2 years. To stop the spread of the virus, the governments of many countries decided to introduce reasonable social restrictions that were suitable for pandemic waves. This led to radical changes in people’s lives, especially among students, who are very active in society. Before COVID-19, being of student age was associated with the highest frequency of stimulants use. It is important to note that drugs are taken disparately in various areas. Therefore, using the Computer-Assisted Web Interview type of study, the impact of the pandemic on the use of alcohol, cannabinoids, psychostimulants (e.g., amphetamine, methamphetamine, ecstasy) and sedatives (e.g., zolpidem, zopiclone, alprazolam, lorazepam, etc.) was assessed among students from European countries. The questionnaire included single- and multiple-answer questions. The first part concerned sociodemographic questions, while the second included questions about the use of stimulants in the last 3 months prior to participation in the study. Distribution of the survey covered the period from 31 January 2016 to 30 April 2021. A total of 17,594 European students participated in the study. The vast majority of participants were women (80.4%) and students of non-medical universities (77.2%) living in Eastern European countries (86.1%). Of all students, 15,613 (89.6%) reported alcohol drinking, 2538 (14.1%) the use of cannabinoids, 650 (3.6%) psychostimulants, and 2252 (12.5%) sedatives in the past three months. It has been shown that women are far less likely to use alcohol (OR 0.81), psychostimulants (OR 0.44) and cannabinoids (OR 0.49), while they are more likely to use sedatives (OR 1.41). During the COVID-19 pandemic, the consumption of alcohol (OR 0.55) and psychostimulants (OR 0.72) decreased and that of sleep medications increased (OR 1.17). To conclude, the COVID-19 pandemic influenced the pattern of stimulants used by students in European countries. The restriction of social interactions contributed to the decrease in the consumption of alcohol and psychostimulants but increased the use of sedatives and the frequency of their use. Women were found to use sedatives more often, while men preferred to drink alcohol and use cannabinoids or psychostimulants. It has also been shown that students of Central and Eastern Europe more often use alcohol and sedatives, while in Southern European countries psychostimulants and cannabinoids are preferred.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Use of Alcohol, Cannabinoids, Psychostimulants, and Sedatives before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Students in 40 European Countries

Babicki

2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

Factors determining the use of stimulants and sedatives by secondary school students

Abstract: No ghostwriting and guest authorship declared./Nie występują zjawiska ghostwriting i guest authorship.

Cited by 1 publication

References 18 publications

Use of Alcohol, Cannabinoids, Psychostimulants, and Sedatives before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Students in 40 European Countries

Use of Alcohol, Cannabinoids, Psychostimulants, and Sedatives before and during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Students in 40 European Countries

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