A portrait of benzodiazepine use among college students

• Autor(a) principal: Rato, Inês Jorge Proença Paulo
• Data de Publicação: 2020
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Científico de Acesso Aberto de Portugal (Repositórios Cientìficos)
• Texto Completo: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.6/10722
• topic: Benzodiazepinas; Estudantes Ensino Superior; Mindfulness; Psicopatologia; Qualidade de Vida; Domínio/Área Científica::Ciências Médicas::Ciências da Saúde::Medicina

Benzodiazepines (BZD) are among the most widely prescribed pharma in the world, and Portugal reports one of the highest BZD consumption rates. Academic and biopsychosocial changes associated with the higher education period contribute to increased risk of psychopathology in youths, being that anxiety, depression and substance abuse disorders are among the most significant mental health problems in this population. In Portugal, there have been no studies examining the correlates of BZD use within a sample of college students, nor has there been an assessment of the frequency of use and characterization of BZD use in this population. Thus, this study aimed to characterize benzodiazepine use and assess its potential correlates and predictors among Portuguese college students. This cross-sectional study was conducted using an online anonymous questionnaire, specifically designed for this study, with a final sample of 805 students enrolled in Portuguese universities and polytechnics. The questionnaire was composed by 9 sections: sociodemographic and academic data, characterization of BZD use, characterization of psychoactive substances consumption, physical exercise, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), WHO Quality of Life Brief Questionnaire (WHOQOL-Bref), Zung Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) and Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). All the scales are valid for the Portuguese population. Results showed a substantial lifetime frequency of BZD use among the sample’s students: 19.1% (n=157) and mean age of first use was 19.4 years. BZD were obtained mainly through a psychiatrist or other specialty doctor, nevertheless for 20% BZD’s were provided by their relatives. The majority of students reported anxiety and sleeping problems as the main reasons for BZD use. Gender, age, cigarette smoking, cocaine use, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, perceived stress, acting with awareness, nonjudging, nonreacting and FFMQ total were all found to be significantly correlated with BZD use on bivariate analysis. A logistic model was found to predict 29% of the variance of current use of BZD, with age, cigarette smoking, alcohol, LSD/other hallucinogens, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms, describing, acting with awareness, nonjudging and nonreacting as the predictive factors of the outcome. These results support some of the predicted hypotheses, while others are opposite to the initial ideas. BZD use was more frequent among females and older students, as observed in previous studies. Perceived stress, anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms were not only highly frequent among the sample’s college students but also significantly associated with BZD use. Additionally, anxiety symptoms and depressive symptoms were found to positively predict current use of BZD. With regard to psychoactive substances consumption, cigarette smoking and LSD/other hallucinogens were positive predictors of BZD use, while alcohol was a negative predictor. Mindfulness facets nonjudging and nonreacting appear to be independent negative predictors of current BZD use, therefore, mindfulness-based interventions relying fundamentally on the development and practice of these two facets are of interest in further studies, as they might provide students the tools needed to deal with depressive and anxiety symptoms predictors of current BZD use, and also help with their academic achievements. A unique contribution of this study is the portrait of benzodiazepine use among college students, and the evidence that several factors influence its use. The modifiable predictors of BZD use, such as anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms and psychoactive substances consumption, must constitute the main targets on the development of strategies aiming to diminish its use, while advocating a conscious consumption of the drug when needed.