Social Determinants and Drug Dependence: Systematic Review of Literature

Abstract

A systematic literature review on social determinations and consumption of psychoactive substances was realized. The research was accomplished in some databases, in Portuguese, English and Spanish, using the descriptors “Social Determinants in Health” and the Boolean descriptor AND for the term “Disorders Related to Substance Use”. 78 articles were selected, in which a concentration of studies was observed in the northern hemisphere, emphasizing on microsocial factors. The most studied drugs were multiple substances (44.9%), alcohol (21.8%) and tobacco (15.4%), highlighting the determinants of income (35.9%), sex, family and territory (26.9% each). It is important to consider drug use as a complex and multifaceted biopsychosocial phenomenon, requiring greater production of evidence in developing countries, using different epistemological and methodological perspectives.