The non-medical use of prescription psychotropic drugs by school boys in greater Cairo.

Data, previously collected in the context of a large-scale study of the extent of substance use among male Egyptian secondary and technical school students, were broken down along a parameter of use/non-use of prescription psychoactive drugs. Users were compared with non-users on five clusters of queries included in a standardized questionnaire, relating to: family ties, participation in peers' activities, exposure to drug-related stimuli, boldness and health problems. Users were found to report weak family ties, persistent participation in peers' activities and consistent exposure to drug-related stimuli. They were daring in relating to the drug universe and were less healthy (physically and psychologically) than non-users. These findings are discussed in the light of relevant previously reported results of epidemiological studies.