O uso de substâncias psicoativas e o comportamento de autolesão em adolescentes/jovens

Abstract

The use of psychoactive substances is a public health problem that affects people of all ages, including adolescents. Use in adolescence can have several causes, including social influences and the search for pleasure. It is essential to recognize that early substance use can have serious implications for the physical and mental health of adolescents, negatively affecting brain development, increasing the risk of dependence and harming school performance and interpersonal relationships. A worrying behavior that is often associated with the use of psychoactive substances in adolescents is self-injurious behavior. Thus, this study aimed to analyze the relationship between the use of psychoactive substances and self-harm behavior in adolescents/young people. To this end, an observational, cross-sectional analytical study with a quantitative approach was carried out. The study site has three units of a federal educational institution located in a state in the mid-west region. And 191 young adults aged between 14 and 24 participated. Data were collected using the Self-Injury Behavior Scale and questions about drug use from the Brazilian Youth Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics, with the chi-square test and a significance level of 95%. The study was approved by the human research ethics committee. As a result, the average age of participants was 17.2 years (SD=2.12). The majority were of Brazilian nationality (99.5%), female (61.6%), self-declared mixed race (47.9%), single marital status (88.1%), without children (97.3 %), with family income of up to 3 minimum wages (50.3%) and did not receive any type of aid or scholarship (67.5%). Regarding drug use, (67.5%) reported that they had used some type of drug at least once in their lives, (48.7%) had done so in the last year and (27.2%) had done so in the last month. The prevalence ratio analysis indicated that the use of alcohol in the last year by adolescents/young people, when compared to those who did not use alcohol, increases the prevalence of self-harm behavior once or more in the last year by 59% (PR: 1. 59); (CI: 1.09 - 2.32), 39% self-injuring behavior five times or more 39% (RP: 1.39); (CI: 1.24 - 2.32), 69% of having thought about killing themselves (RP: 1.69); (CI: 1.04 - 1.85) and 64% of having already tried to kill themselves (RP: 1.64); (CI: 1.25 - 2.17). This study achieved the objective of analyzing the relationship between the use of psychoactive substances and self-injurious behavior in adolescents. The relationship between these behaviors highlights the importance of preventive interventions, such as promoting mental health, educating about the risks associated with drugs and creating emotionally supportive environments.