The Moderating Role of Spirituality in the Association between Stress and Substance Use among Adolescents: Differences by Gender

Abstract

Adolescents are exposed to various stressors that may increase the risk for substance use. Due to the detrimental, and potentially long-lasting, effects related to substance use, it is necessary to explore more optimal coping strategies. This study explored the association between substance use and stress among male and female high school students in relation to spirituality as a moderator. To examine these relationships, the study used cross-sectional data collected from 27,874 high school students (Male = 50.7%, Female = 49.3%) across 58 high schools in Maryland that included an ethnically diverse sample (49% Caucasian, 30% African American) with an average age of 16 years old. Bivariate results showed differences in substance use, stress, and spirituality between male and female students. Higher rates of substance use were generally found among male students compared to female students; rates tended to be higher among female students for stress and spirituality compared to their male counterparts. Multilevel analyses indicated a positive association between stress and substance use among male and female students after adjusting for demographic and school-level factors. Both male and female students who reported turning to spiritual beliefs when experiencing problems were less likely to use substances. However, the interaction between stress and spirituality was significant for males only. These findings suggest that stress may increase the propensity for substance use and that spirituality might be a viable coping mechanism useful for helping high school students adapt to stressful circumstances and situations.

Quotidiano conflituoso de famílias que vivenciam o uso de drogas

“…In addition to corroborating other studies (5,10,14,(18)(19) , this article offers new praxis for holistic nursing care, especially for professionals working in Psychosocial Care Centers, who have the opportunity to know the particularities of families assisted and work force and potential of transformation of these, trying balance and well-being. Thus, by valuing the small manifestations of love and sociality among the family members and incorporating them in a practical way, care becomes more sensitive to the needs of this population, allowing the construction of new paths and alternatives of programs and actions to face social conditions which aggravate and constitute the problem.…”

“…These results support the findings of the literature, which point out the need for nursing professionals to value spirituality in the care of individuals, families and the community, in order to help them to deal with dependence damages such as social withdrawal, violence and depression (18) . Spirituality enables drug-dependent people to develop self-regulating behaviors in stressful situations, as well as dealing with feelings of sadness and loneliness, reducing suicidal ideation, raising general well-being and mental health (18)(19) .…”

Perceived stress and reference ranges of hair cortisol in healthy adolescents

“…This relationship between stress and health is particularly worrisome during adolescence, a period of great vulnerability [12, 13]. At this stage, academic, social, and family pressures along with rapid changes in the environment and in adolescents themselves lead to high levels of stress [14–16].…”

Association between illegal use of substances and suicidal behavior in school students: An integrative review of empirical data

“…Moreover, a number of risk factors for substance use in adolescents seem to be gender specific, such as early onset of puberty in girls (Purper-Ouakil & Didillon, 2016), eating and weight loss attitudes (Thomas et al, 2018), perceived racial discrimination (Assari, Mistry, and Caldwell, 2018), subjective body image (Black, Sussman, Unger, Pokhrel, & Sun, 2010), urbanization (Pitel, Geckova, van Dijk, & Reijneveld, 2011), or spirituality (Debnam, Milam, Mullen, Lacey, & Bradshaw, 2018). Similarly, there are modifications in the patterns of substance use between male and female adolescents, mainly in relation to the age of initiation and severity or duration of use (Campbell et al, 2018;Hawes, Trucco, Duperrouzel, Coxe, & Gonzalez, 2018).…”