University Rovira i Virgili, Tarragona, Spain.
PeerJ. 2024 Jan 19;12:e16801. doi: 10.7717/peerj.16801. eCollection 2024.
Substance use, especially among adolescents, is a significant public health concern, with profound implications for physical and psychological development. This study aimed to evaluate the quantity and sources of information available to adolescents regarding polydrug use. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Tarragona involving adolescents with an average age of 16.44 years. This study assessed the number of substances used (alcohol, cigarettes, and cannabis) in the past month, along with information sources related to substance use. Monitored sources (., schools, parents, and mass media) and unmonitored sources (., peers, siblings, internet) were distinguished. In addition, four individual and four environmental control variables were considered. Multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that incorporating variables related to adolescents' substance use information and its sources enhanced the explanatory model, surpassing control variables. The degree of information about substance use did not significantly explain consumption patterns, but the number of information sources, both monitored and unmonitored, did. The unmonitored sources were associated with increased polydrug use. Conversely, greater reliance on supervised sources for information was linked to reduced single-substance and polydrug use. This protective effect increased with an increase in the number of substances used. In conclusion, information obtained from monitored sources acts as a deterrent to substance consumption, consistent with findings suggesting that greater health literacy among adolescents discourages substance use. Conversely, this study suggests that information from more informal sources may encourage heavier polydrug use, aligning with reports indicating that adolescents with a more comprehensive understanding of substance use consequences tend to engage in heavier drug use.
物质使用，尤其是青少年中的物质使用，是一个重大的公共卫生关注点，对身体和心理发育都有深远的影响。本研究旨在评估青少年获取多药物使用相关信息的数量和来源。在塔拉戈纳进行了一项横断面调查，涉及平均年龄为 16.44 岁的青少年。本研究评估了青少年在过去一个月中使用的物质数量（酒精、香烟和大麻），以及与物质使用相关的信息来源。区分了监测来源（例如学校、父母和大众媒体）和非监测来源（例如同伴、兄弟姐妹、互联网）。此外，还考虑了四个个体和四个环境控制变量。多项逻辑回归分析显示，纳入与青少年物质使用信息及其来源相关的变量可以增强解释模型，超过了控制变量。物质使用信息的程度并不能显著解释消费模式，但信息来源的数量，无论是监测的还是非监测的，都可以解释。非监测来源与多药物使用的增加有关。相反，更多地依赖监督来源获取信息与单一物质和多药物使用的减少有关。这种保护作用随着使用物质数量的增加而增加。总之，从监测来源获取的信息可以阻止物质消费，这与青少年健康素养越高越不容易使用物质的发现一致。相反，本研究表明，来自更非正式来源的信息可能会鼓励更严重的多药物使用，这与报告一致，即对物质使用后果有更全面了解的青少年往往会进行更严重的药物使用。
