OBJECTIVE: This study examined the types of polydrug use among Spanish adolescents. METHOD: 1501 high school students (50.6% female) aged 12 to 17years old (mean age=14.03, SD=1.28), from public schools in the city of Girona (Catalonia, Spain), completed the survey. RESULTS: In the previous six months 20.9% of the Spanish adolescents used alcohol, 18.8% tobacco, 10.5% cannabis and 0.7% cocaine. Specifically, 28.6% of the sample (n=429; 29% males and 28.2% females) used at least one drug and 13.9% reported polydrug use (n=208; 12.6% males and 15.1% females). The present research also found that the most critical ages for starting polydrug use were 14 and 15years old. More than one quarter (27.9%) of the adolescent polydrug users were type A (tobacco and alcohol), 67.8% were type B (cannabis together with tobacco and/or alcohol) and 3.4% were type C (cannabis together with tobacco and/or alcohol, and cocaine). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Spanish adolescents, particularly males, commence polydrug use at an earlier age than other European adolescents. Early preventative strategies and a multisubstance perspective are greatly needed in Spain to avoid the initiation of polydrug use or to prevent progress onto heavier drugs.
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the types of polydrug use among Spanish adolescents. METHOD: 1501 high school students (50.6% female) aged 12 to 17years old (mean age=14.03, SD=1.28), from public schools in the city of Girona (Catalonia, Spain), completed the survey. RESULTS: In the previous six months 20.9% of the Spanish adolescents used alcohol, 18.8% tobacco, 10.5% cannabis and 0.7% cocaine. Specifically, 28.6% of the sample (n=429; 29% males and 28.2% females) used at least one drug and 13.9% reported polydrug use (n=208; 12.6% males and 15.1% females). The present research also found that the most critical ages for starting polydrug use were 14 and 15years old. More than one quarter (27.9%) of the adolescent polydrug users were type A (tobacco and alcohol), 67.8% were type B (cannabis together with tobacco and/or alcohol) and 3.4% were type C (cannabis together with tobacco and/or alcohol, and cocaine). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that Spanish adolescents, particularly males, commence polydrug use at an earlier age than other European adolescents. Early preventative strategies and a multisubstance perspective are greatly needed in Spain to avoid the initiation of polydrug use or to prevent progress onto heavier drugs.
Authors: Alexandra M E Zuckermann; Gillian Williams; Katelyn Battista; Margaret de Groh; Ying Jiang; Scott T Leatherdale Journal: Addict Behav Rep Date: 2019-05-10
Authors: Carlos Roncero; Alfonso C Abad; Antonio Padilla-Mata; Elena Ros-Cucurull; Carmen Barral; Miquel Casas; Lara Grau-López Journal: Curr Neuropharmacol Date: 2017 Impact factor: 7.363
Authors: Domingo Palacios-Ceña; Isabel Jiménez-Trujillo; Valentín Hernández-Barrera; Lidiane Lima Florencio; Pilar Carrasco-Garrido Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-09-15 Impact factor: 3.390