DRUG USE AMONG COLLEGE STUDENTS DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC: a counterpoint to the pre-pandemic period

• Autor(a) principal: Takahashi, Camila Mayumi Nakashima [UNIFESP]
• Data de Publicação: 2021
• Tipo de documento: Trabalho de conclusão de curso
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Repositório Institucional da UNIFESP
• Texto Completo: https://hdl.handle.net/11600/62419
• topic: College students; Drug use; Pandemic; COVID-19

Objective: the present study aimed to compare the use of illicit substances by students of a public university located on the coast of the state of São Paulo between the previous moment and during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: it is characterized as quantitative and longitudinal. The data collection step was composed of two steps. The first one was held in person on a campus of a public university located on the state of São Paulo in the week before the established social distancing in the state. The second phase of data collection was carried out from May to June 2020 and consisted of the application of the questionnaires (a socioeconomic and demographic questionnaire and DAST) used in the first moment in online format and adapted for the time of the pandemic. The study sample was defined by convenience, according to the students' acceptance to participate in the research and the final sample consisted of 100 students, 71% female and 29% male. Results: the mean DAST score at the pre-pandemic time was 1.23 (SD=1.52) and, at the time during, was 0.71 (SD=1.24). Only the variable that evaluated the residence status was significant for the difference in the DAST between the two moments (p<0.002). Conclusions: among college students, drug use decreased during the pandemic when compared to the pre-pandemic period. The situation of returning to live with family members during the pandemic was a protective factor in this population.