Resilience and coping strategies in a sample of consumers and non-consumers of psychoactive substances

Abstract

A quantitative, non-experimental correlational study, with a cross-sectional design, aimed at describing coping strategies and resilience in two groups of young consumers and non-consumers of psychoactive substances. The Coping Strategies Inventory, designed by Tobin et al. (1989) and the Resilience Scale SV-RES by Saavedra and Villalta (2008) were used. The results suggest that the combination of low social support strategies, social isolation, and high levels of emotional expression may seem to be associated with substance use as a possible escape route for coping with stressful situations. In terms of resilience, the results are consistent with other studies that show lower levels of resilience in the population of psychoactive substance users. Finally, this research leads to the conclusion that resilience and adequate coping strategies are protective factors that should be strengthened in the child and adolescent population in order to prevent substance use behavior as an escape route from problems.