Use of psychotropic drugs by students from the health area: a comparative and qualitative analysis

Abstract

Introduction: The use of psychotropic substances is highly prevalent among students in the health area. This situation reveals an inversion of values, in which future professionals who will give advice on drug use and abuse make inadequate consumption of drugs. Objective: This research aims to collect and comparatively analyze the profile of psychotropic substance use by health students, as well as analyze the subjective significance of drug use by health students. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study, with a quantitative sample of 745 students, aged 15 to 70 years, from the Psychology, Medicine, Nursing, Nutrition and Physiotherapy courses. A questionnaire adapted from the “I National Survey on the Use of Alcohol and Other Drugs by University Students in the 27 Brazilian Capitals” was used for data collection. Regarding the qualitative work, a focal group was carried out, whose participants comprised ten students, of which three were Psychology students, three were Physiotherapy students, one was a medical student and one a Nursing student. Results: The study results showed that the psychotropic substances most often used by the participants were: Alcohol, Tobacco and Marijuana, in addition to Tranquilizers and Anxiolytics. Furthermore, in comparison with the other courses, Psychology students were the ones who used the most drugs in general, followed by Nutrition and Medicine. Moreover, drug use was perceived as a means of escape from psychological distress, as well as a way to maximize pleasure. For university students, the use of psychotropic drugs is seen as an combination of interpersonal relationships, being also influenced by the desire to improve academic performance. Conclusion: The study data disclosed a high consumption of psychotropic drugs by university students in the health area, a condition associated to psychological distress and which reveals a demand for support and assistance in terms of substance dependence. It is important that further research on the subject be carried out, so that effective public policies can be implemented.

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