AI Summary & Key Takeaways
AI InsightOverall lifetime substance use, gender differences in substance preferences, students’ problematic behaviors and their ef- fects on the substance use ratios, reasons for substance usage, locations where the students use the substances and sources where the substances were obtained, how the substance use ratios were affected by user friends and relatives were the covered objects.
📌 3 Key Takeaways
Abstract
Introduction: Adolescence is considered to be the most risky period for experimenting with harmful substances. This study aims to determine the psychoactive substance consumption rates among all of the high school students in city center of Edirne, Turkey. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted with 8.483 high school students. The survey form used in the present study was compiled from questionnaires used in “The European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs” study. Overall lifetime substance use, gender differences in substance preferences, students’ problematic behaviors and their ef- fects on the substance use ratios, reasons for substance usage, locations where the students use the substances and sources where the substances were obtained, how the substance use ratios were affected by user friends and relatives were the covered objects. Results: A total of 8402 school students aged 15-19 years completed the questionnaire, 53.0 % of which were females. Al- cohol was the most common substance used (24.6%), followed by tobacco (21.5%) and cannabis (1%). Frequency of other substances remained under 1%. Tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, ecstasy, inhalants, and cocaine usage were significantly higher in males. Having problematic behaviours were associated with the rise in substances usage. User friends were both the main reason of usage and the supplier of the substances. The main location where the students use substances were the streets. Discussion and Conclusion: Although frequencies of psychoactive substance usage among high school students of Edirne were found to be lower than most of the other locations all around the world, students’ problematic behaviours and risk factors were similar.