Psychoactive Substance Use Among Nursing Students at a Public University in Puebla, México

Abstract

The use of psychoactive substances is a global health problem that has consequences for individuals. University students, due to their specific characteristics, tend to have high consumption rates, especially those in health-related fields. The objective was to analyze the prevalence of alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use and identify the associated sociodemographic and academic factors in students from different semesters of the bachelor's degree program. The research had a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional, observational, and descriptive design. An anonymous questionnaire was administered to a sample of 200 students from different semesters of the undergraduate program. The instrument was designed for this study, based on a previously proposed questionnaire and adapted to the institutional context and the population studied. The results showed consumption of legal and illegal substances among students, with differences related to the semester attended and the substance consumed. These results were considered to be linked to social and emotional factors specific to the university stage. It was concluded that the consumption of psychoactive substances was present among nursing students, highlighting the importance of strengthening preventive actions and promoting healthy lifestyles.