Association of knowledge and attitudes with the misuse of tranquilizers in parents: a study in Beirut (Lebanon).

OBJECTIVE

To measure the association between knowledge, attitudes and practices of personal misuse of tranquilizers among parents of schoolchildren in Beirut (Lebanon).

DESIGN

We carried out a cross-sectional study in 1396 adults recruited from parents of students of eleven public and private schools, from primary schools to high schools, using a Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) questionnaire of personal use of tranquilizers.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

We assessed five patterns of tranquilizers' misuse: unprescribed use, shortened treatment, stored leftovers, doubled forgotten doses or taken when remembered, changed dose without medical recommendation, and a sixth composite outcome: 'any misuse'.

RESULTS

Sixty-three (62.2%) of 91 parents who used tranquilizers reported at least one misuse pattern. Higher odds of 'any misuse' were observed among parents who reported taking tranquilizers to sleep better, to enjoy themselves with their families or to work better [2.35 ≤ adjusted interquartile odds ratio (aIqOR) ≤ 1.99]. Storing tranquilizers for future need was strongly associated with misuse [aIqOR: 5.00 (95% CI: 3.30, 7.59)]. Greater awareness about hazards of tranquilizers and the importance of therapeutic compliance was associated with lower odds of specific misuse patterns (0.50 ≤ aIqOR ≤ 0.72).

CONCLUSIONS

Poor knowledge and medically disapproved attitudes increase the likelihood of practices of tranquilizer misuse.