Aljerian Khaldoon, Alamri Rahaf, Althomali Asma, Aljamili Lama, Alkhalaf Lujain, Alsultan Zahra, Alenezi Shuliweeh, Alarabi Mohammed
Pathology, King Saud University, Riyadh, SAU.
Psychiatry, King Saud University, Riyadh, SAU.
Cureus. 2024 Oct 5;16(10):e70890. doi: 10.7759/cureus.70890. eCollection 2024 Oct.
Substance misuse is a global and substantial health concern that includes the inappropriate use of illicit substances or prescription and over-the-counter medications, which subsequently leads to poor outcomes such as a mental health disorder, financial distress, work malfunction, and academic failure.
This study aimed to assess the prevalence of substance use, identify associated risk factors, explore potential complications within this specific demographic, and investigate the relationship between sociodemographic/lifestyle variables such as age, gender, marital status, family income, smoking, physical activity, and academic variables including grade point averages (GPAs), study hours, and the parental educational level with substance use history among students in health colleges in Saudi Arabia.
This quantitative, descriptive cross-sectional study employed a questionnaire-based approach to collect data from students in health colleges across the regions of Saudi Arabia in the year 2022.
The study found the prevalence of the use of various substances among students in health colleges to be 20.2%. Multiple factors were found to be associated with substance abuse. Smoking habits were the strongest predictor of substance misuse, with 49.1% of smokers reporting a history of substance use, compared to only 15.5% of non-smokers. This makes smoking the most impactful lifestyle factor related to substance use. Sleep patterns also played a significant role. A notable 43.6% of those who took up to two hours to fall asleep reported substance use, followed by 32.4% of those with sleep disorders and 25.5% with poor sleep quality. Unpredictable sleep patterns and a history of sleep disorders further strengthened the link between disrupted sleep and substance misuse. Academic performance, specifically GPA, showed that individuals with lower academic achievement were more likely to report substance use. Among those with a GPA below 3.0, 43.5% had a history of substance use, while only 16.7% of those with a GPA above 4.5 did so.
The findings underscored the high prevalence of substance use, even among students in health colleges, and shed light on its connection to specific determinants. This poses a serious public health concern, as substance use is associated with poorer GPA, diminished knowledge acquisition, and overall academic performance. This, in turn, may negatively impact their future roles as healthcare providers, compromising both the quality of patient care and their personal well-being. These results emphasize the need for further investigations to unravel the underlying mechanisms of substance misuse and formulate innovative strategies to address this pressing issue effectively.
药物滥用是一个全球性的重大健康问题，包括非法药物、处方药和非处方药的不当使用，随后会导致诸如心理健康障碍、经济困境、工作失常和学业失败等不良后果。
本研究旨在评估药物使用的流行率，确定相关风险因素，探索这一特定人群中的潜在并发症，并调查社会人口统计学/生活方式变量（如年龄、性别、婚姻状况、家庭收入、吸烟、体育活动）以及学术变量（包括平均绩点（GPA）、学习时间和父母教育水平）与沙特阿拉伯健康学院学生药物使用史之间的关系。
这项定量描述性横断面研究采用问卷调查法，于2022年从沙特阿拉伯各地区健康学院的学生中收集数据。
研究发现，健康学院学生中各种药物使用的流行率为20.2%。发现多个因素与药物滥用有关。吸烟习惯是药物滥用最强的预测因素，49.1%的吸烟者报告有药物使用史，相比之下，非吸烟者中只有15.5%有此情况。这使得吸烟成为与药物使用相关的最具影响力的生活方式因素。睡眠模式也起着重要作用。入睡时间长达两小时的人群中，有43.6%报告有药物使用情况，其次是有睡眠障碍的人群中的32.4%以及睡眠质量差的人群中的25.5%。不可预测的睡眠模式和睡眠障碍史进一步加强了睡眠紊乱与药物滥用之间的联系。学业成绩，特别是GPA，表明学业成绩较低的个体更有可能报告有药物使用情况。在GPA低于3.0的人群中，43.5%有药物使用史，而GPA高于4.5的人群中只有16.7%有此情况。
研究结果强调了药物使用的高流行率，即使在健康学院的学生中也是如此，并揭示了其与特定决定因素的关联。这引发了严重的公共卫生问题，因为药物使用与较低的GPA、知识获取减少和整体学业成绩下降有关。反过来，这可能会对他们未来作为医疗保健提供者的角色产生负面影响，损害患者护理质量和他们的个人福祉。这些结果强调需要进一步调查以揭示药物滥用的潜在机制，并制定创新策略来有效解决这一紧迫问题。
