USE OF PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES AMONG SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS IN MUNICIPAL DISTRICTS

Use of psychoactive sybstances among school teenagers in Municipal Districts

Abstract

Objective: to analyze the use of psychoactive substances among adolescent students. Method: cross-sectional study, with a quantitative approach, carried out in 2021, with 199 students from four state high schools located in the districts of a municipality in the interior of Ceará. A self-administered questionnaire, DUSI (Drug Use Screening Inventory), was used. Results: 92 (46.2%) students were in the 1st year of high school, 114 (57.3%) were female, with a predominant age of 15 to 16 years (N 31 65.9%). Adolescents reported using all substances surveyed, even if it was only once or twice in the last month. The following were prevalent: analgesics (15.6%), alcohol (14.5%), tranquilizers (4.5%) and marijuana (2.5%). Almost all participants denied tobacco use in the last 30 days. Most participants denied having problems associated with the use of these psychoactive substances Conclusion: the study helped to understand the most consumed psychoactive substances among high school students in Municipal Districts, allowing to expand knowledge about drug use in the school environment. This finding demonstrates the presence of these substances and their use among adolescents even in places farther from large urban centers.