Alcohol Use and Other Psychoactive Substances in Dominican Adolescents

Abstract

The consumption of psychoactive substances is an important public health problem in the Americas, but the Dominican Republic does not monitor its evolution. Information related to pattern of use, age of onset, contexts of use and associated implications would help to better understand the problem. Objective: To quantify and describe the consumption of psychoactive substances in Dominican adolescents. Method: School survey with an ad hoc questionnaire. N=2011 adolescents in Santo Domingo (39% men and 61% women). Ages between 13 and 17 years old (M=15.15 and SD=1.27). Results: 63.7% consumed alcohol during the last year. Boys have a higher risk consumption and between 13 and 15 years of age is when the rate of consumption increases the most. Discussion: The results support the hypothesis of vulnerability in adolescents from developing countries, which requires prevention strategies aimed to specific age groups, covering both personal and contextual variables.