Use of the main psychoactive drugs during the COVID-19 pandemic among higher education students

Abstract

Background: The higher education student population has a special risk of use and abuse of psychoactive drugs. Objective: To analyze the use of psychoactive drugs in higher education students and their relationship with the sociodemographic variables and the COVID-19 pandemic onset. Methodology: An analytical, observational, and cross-sectional study was conducted. Data were collected through a questionnaire applied after the first semester of the 2020/2021 school year to 8875 students of the Polytechnic Institute of Bragança from Portugal. A stratified sample of 825 participants for each of the five schools. Results: Alcohol and tobacco are the most used and abused substances due to the practice of binge drinking/smoking. Psychoactive and recreational drugs are less used. Use is affected by sociodemographic variables: gender, age, school, chronic diseases, and parents’ education/occupation. During the pandemic COVID-19, students perceive an increase in use except for alcohol. Conclusion: The use of psychoactive drugs in higher education students is affected by sociodemographic variables and the COVID-19 pandemic.