Analysis of drug use among adolescents in western Serbia

Abstract

Introduction: Psychoactive substance use during adolescence is a public health concern because of the risk of developing dependence and its potential adverse effects on mental health and academic functioning. Objective: To examine the prevalence and patterns of psychoactive substance use and associated social and school-related factors among adolescents in western Serbia. Methodology: This cross-sectional study included a convenience sample of 60 thirdand fourth-year students from the Dr Miša Pantić Secondary Medical School in Valjevo during the 2020/2021 school year. A dataset was constructed to demonstrate the planned analysis using descriptive statistics, Fisher's exact test, and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals. Results: The sample included 48 female students (80.0%). A total of 12 students (20.0%) reported having used a psychoactive substance at least once in their lifetime, 8 (13.3%) reported use within the previous 12 months, and 3 (5.0%) within the previous 30 days. Among the students who reported substance use, 7 (58.3%) had tried a substance only once. The most commonly reported substances were cannabis (15.0% of the total sample) and sedatives/anxiolytics used without a prescription (8.3%). No heroin/opioid or cocaine use was reported. Substance use was associated with peer use (OR = 7,60; 95% CI 1,90-30,44; p = 0,004) and easy availability (OR = 6,07; 95% CI 1,56-23,57; p = 0,010). Conclusion: Our findings indicate infrequent experimentation, most commonly with cannabis and non-medically used sedatives, and highlight the importance of peer use and substance availability.