Pattern of substance use among schoolchildren in Palestine: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Tobacco smoking, alcohol use, and illicit drug use are significant health, psychological, and social problems among youth in Palestine. The aim of this study was to provide insight into the extent and the pattern of psychoactive substance use among schoolchildren in the West Bank in Palestine. A cross-sectional study in 16 schools was conducted in 2016. Eight hundred seventy-seven students of 10th grade were chosen randomly. Modified self-administrated questionnaire from Monitor the Future Study and European school survey project on alcohol and other drugs was used. Results: The most current substance used by schoolchildren was tobacco (40.6%), followed by alcohol (3.2%) and illicit drugs (2.0%). Around 59.7, 7.9, and 2.9% of the schoolchildren had tried, at least once in their lifetime, tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, respectively. Moreover, 11.1% of them who had not yet tried a substance intends to smoke tobacco, 1.4% intends to drink alcohol, and 0.3% intends to try illicit drugs. Curiosity and experience was the most frequent motivation for using these substances. The mean age of initiation was 12 years for smoking and 14 years for drinking alcohol or using illicit drugs. Most of the illicit drug users (78.3%) had tried more than one illicit drug or more than one substance at the same time. Cannabis and synthetic cannabinoids followed by amphetamines were the most commonly used drugs. Around 78.8%, 37.6%, and 27.6% agreed that tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs, respectively, were easily accessible in their communities. Work was significantly associated with increased risk for substance use across various substances. Conclusion: Many factors had determined the danger of using psychoactive substances by Palestinian schoolchildren including the initiation age, the availability, the type of the substances used, and the frequency of the use, and using multiple substances at the same time. Curiosity and experience, peer pressure, families, and working were the most important motives. Health care professionals, clinicians, and ministries of education, health, and labor have key responsibilities in preventing substance use among youth and need to develop more effective prevention and cessation strategies. The Palestinian National Authority needs to make more efforts in smoking legislation regulating the age of access and smoking for youths and adults.

Perspectives of Frontline Professionals on Palestinian Children Living with Sibling and Parental Drug Use in the UNRWA Camps, Jordan

“…Our study shows that the Palestinian refugee population in Jordan are increasingly vulnerable to drug availability and drug activity due to their marginalised situation within the camps and their general lack of opportunity which slowly but persistently undermines the sense of identity which many once had. Similar has been reported in the West Bank and Gaza (Massad et al, 2016;Al-Afifi et al, 2015;Damiri et al, 2018aDamiri et al, :b:2019Van Hout et al, 2019). There FGs however have highlighted both divergence and convergence around perspectives on the issue of substance/drug use in the camps, and how this affects children, families and communities.…”

“…Research on health risk behaviours relating to substance/drug use and injecting use of drugs in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region remains scant, with little early warning data to inform government responses to emerging public health threats (Arfken & Ahmed, 2016;Glick et al, 2018). A reported rise in substance/drug use, injecting use and drug use disorder in the oPt (West Bank and Gaza) has been observed in recent times and related to exposure to trauma, poverty, unemployment, fragmentation of Palestinian families and community stress (Sweileh et al, 2004;Al-Afifi et al, 2015;Massad et al, 2016;Palestinian National Institute of Public Health, 2017a;Damiri at al., 2018a;Van Hout et al, 2019). These observed increases have occurred despite religious, legal, and cultural constraints .…”

Perspectives of Frontline Professionals on Palestinian Children Living with Sibling and Parental Drug Use in the West Bank and Gaza Strip

“…For instance, focus groups noted the increased presence of NPS, a relatively recent phenomenon even in affluent Western countries, which demonstrates that the market for illicit substances is evolving as rapidly in the OtP as elsewhere, and this in itself creates new issues for authorities, not least because of the lack of evidence for long-term use of such substances (Mounteney et al 2016). Added to stigma (Defence for Children International/ Palestine Section 2007; Damiri et al 2018a;Van Hout et al 2019;, the poor social services, social and political tensions and inability of the Palestinian law enforcement to police the influx of drugs into the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza compound the issue (Massad et al 2016). The perceived similarity between the Palestinian and Israeli drug markets highlights the ease with which substances are entering the Palestinian areas and the probability that, because of the blockade, drugs are entering the OtP through Israeli routes whether official (a concern raised by some participants) or not.…”

Cannabis use associated with high-risk drug use among Palestinians: An emerging health risk

“…Drug use is a growing problem in Palestine, particularly among young people and in areas of conflict and displacement [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] . The reasons for drug use are complex and include social, economic, and political factors.…”