USE OF PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE HEALTH AREA

Sousa, Francisco Matheus Azevedo de; Sousa, Larissa Maria Dantas de; Aragão, Joyce Mazza Nunes; Oliveira, Eliany Nazaré; Almeida, Paulo César de; Bezerra, Soleane Mazza Nunes; Vasconcelos, Maristela Inês Osawa

doi:10.1590/ce.v28i0.91379

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ORIGINAL ARTICLE • Cogit. Enferm. 28 • 2023 • https://doi.org/10.1590/ce.v28i0.91379 copy

USE OF PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCES AND ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN THE HEALTH AREA

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

HIGHLIGHTS

The study identifies drugs used among university students in the health area.
It expands understanding of drug use among university students.
It analyzes the influence of drugs on academic performance.
It stimulates drug use prevention among university students.

ABSTRACT

Objective:

to verify the most prevalent psychoactive substances used among undergraduate students in the health area and their interference in academic performance.

Methods:

a total of 115 Nursing and Physical Education students from a public university in inland Ceará, Brazil, answered the Drug Use Screening Inventory questionnaire in 2021. To analyze the results, Pearson’s chi-square and likelihood ratio statistical tests were used.

Results:

a total of 65 (56%) students used analgesics, 54 (47%) drank alcohol and 14 (12.2%) smoked marijuana. There was no statistical association between use of psychoactive substances and academic performance. However, among those who used analgesics or alcohol, more than 1/3 analyzed their performance as poor/terrible or fair, and half of those who smoked marijuana analyzed it in the same way.

Conclusion:

the study contributed to understanding the psychoactive substances prevalent in the university context and associated aspects, emphasizing the need for interventions.

DESCRIPTORS:
Health Sciences Students; Nursing Student; Alcohol; Tobacco; Cannabis

Characteristics	n	%
Alcohol
I didn’t use it	61	53
I used it 1-2 times	34	29.6
I used it 3-9 times	20	17.4
I have problems with this substance	2	1.7
I’m fond of this drug	48	41.7
Tobacco
I didn’t use it	109	94.8
I used it 1-2 times	4	3.5
I used it 3-9 times	2	1.7
I have problems with this substance	3	2.6
I’m fond of this drug	2	1.7
Marijuana
I didn’t use it	101	87.8
I used it 1-2 times	9	7.8
I used it 3-9 times	5	4.3
I have problems with this substance	2	1.7
I’m fond of this drug	11	9.6
Inhalants/Solvents
I didn’t use them	111	96.5
I used them 1-2 times	4	3.5
I’m fond of these drugs	1	0.9
Tranquilizers
I didn’t use them	107	93
I used them 1-2 times	6	5.2
I used them 3-9 times	1	0.9
I used them more than 20 times	1	0.9
I have problems with these substances	1	0.9
I’m fond of these drugs	6	5.2
Analgesics
I didn’t use them	50	43.5
I used them 1-2 times	41	35.7
I used them 3-9 times	23	20
I used them 10-20 times	1	0.9
I have problems with these substances	1	0.9
I’m fond of these drugs	10	8.7
Opioids
I didn’t use them	114	99.1
I used them 1-2 times	1	0.9
Anabolics
I didn’t use them	113	98.3
I used them 1-2 times	2	1.7
I have problems with these substances	2	1.7
I’m fond of these drugs	2	1.7
Other drugs
I didn’t use them	114	99.1
I used them 1-2 times	1	0.9
I have problems with these substances	1	0.9
I’m fond of these drugs	1	0.9
Total	115	100

Involvement with alcohol and other drugs	No.	%
Craving/Strong desire
Yes	33	28.7
No	82	71.3
Need to increase consumption to achieve the desired effect
Yes	35	30.4
No	80	69.6
Uncontrolled use
Yes	4	3.5
No	111	96.5
Dependence
Yes	8	7
No	107	93
Stops doing some activity for having spent money on drugs
Yes	12	10.4
No	103	89.6
Disobeys the law by being under the effect of some drug
Yes	26	22.6
No	89	77.4
Shifts from happy to sad as a result of the effect of some drug
Yes	9	7.8
No	106	92.2
Shifts from sad to happy as a result of the effect of some drug
Yes	31	27
No	84	73
Car accident due to being under the influence of some drug
Yes	9	7.8
No	106	92.2
Accidentally hurt someone else or themselves while under the influence of some drug
Yes	11	9.6
No	104	90.4
Conflict with friends and/or family members due to substance use
Yes	10	8.7
No	105	91.3
Relationship problem with friends due to substance use
Yes	16	13.9
No	99	86.1
Withdrawal symptoms after the effect of some drug
Yes	9	7.8
No	106	92.2
Memory breakdowns to remember what they did while under the influence of some drug
Yes	44	38.3
No	71	61.7
Games that include drinking when going to parties
Yes	47	40.9
No	68	59.1
Problems resisting the urge to consume
Yes	5	4.3
No	110	95.7
Impaired academic performance
Yes	26	22.6
No	89	77.4

Variables	Poor/Terrible		Fair		Good		Excellent		p*
Variables	n	%	n	%	n	%	n	%	0.000
Physical Education-Bachelor’s Degree	2	18.2	0	0.0	9	81.8	0	0
Physical Education-Undergraduate Degree	6	24	12	48	5	20	2	8
Nursing	2	2.5	22	27.8	45	57	10	12.7%

Use of analgesics in the last 30 days
	Yes		No
Academic Performance	n	%	n	%	p¹
Poor/Terrible	7	10.8	3	6	0.816
Fair	18	27.7	16	32
Good	33	50.8	26	52
Excellent	7	10.8	5	10
Alcohol use in the last 30 days
	Yes		No
Academic Performance	n	%	n	%	p¹
Poor/Terrible	5	9.3	5	8.2	0.785
Fair	18	33.3	16	26.2
Good	25	46.3	34	55.7
Excellent	6	11.1	6	9.8
Marijuana use in the last 30 days
	Yes		No
Academic Performance	n	%	n	%	p²
Poor/Terrible	4	28.6	6	5.9	0.095
Fair	3	21.4	31	30.7
Good	5	35.7	54	53.5
Excellent	2	14.3	10	9.9

Universidade Federal do Paraná Av. Prefeito Lothário Meissner, 632, Cep: 80210-170, Brasil - Paraná / Curitiba, Tel: +55 (41) 3361-3755 - Curitiba - PR - Brazil
E-mail: cogitare@ufpr.br

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[1] Corresponding author: Joyce Mazza Nunes Aragão Universidade Estadual Vale do Acaráu - UVA Rua Giovane Carneiro, 960, Bairro Parque Silvana II, Sobral-CE E-mail: joyce_mazza@uvanet.br