Types of polydrug use among Spanish adolescents

• DOI: 10.1016/j.addbeh.2012.09.007
• Publication Date: 2012-09-20T17:31:25Z
• Authors: Sílvia Font-Mayolas; Maria Eugènia Gras; Natàlia Cebrián; Anna Salamó; Montserrat Planes; Mark J.M. Sullman
• Keywords: Male; Adolescent; Alcohol Drinking; Heroin Dependence; Substance-Related Disorders; N-Methyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine; 4. Education; Amphetamine-Related Disorders; Smoking; 3. Good health; Cocaine-Related Disorders; 03 medical and health sciences; Spain; Prevalence; Humans; Female; Age of Onset; Sex Distribution; Child; 0305 other medical science

This study examined the types of polydrug use among Spanish adolescents.1501 high school students (50.6% female) aged 12 to 17years old (mean age=14.03, SD=1.28), from public schools in the city of Girona (Catalonia, Spain), completed the survey.In the previous six months 20.9% of the Spanish adolescents used alcohol, 18.8% tobacco, 10.5% cannabis and 0.7% cocaine. Specifically, 28.6% of the sample (n=429; 29% males and 28.2% females) used at least one drug and 13.9% reported polydrug use (n=208; 12.6% males and 15.1% females). The present research also found that the most critical ages for starting polydrug use were 14 and 15years old. More than one quarter (27.9%) of the adolescent polydrug users were type A (tobacco and alcohol), 67.8% were type B (cannabis together with tobacco and/or alcohol) and 3.4% were type C (cannabis together with tobacco and/or alcohol, and cocaine).These results suggest that Spanish adolescents, particularly males, commence polydrug use at an earlier age than other European adolescents. Early preventative strategies and a multisubstance perspective are greatly needed in Spain to avoid the initiation of polydrug use or to prevent progress onto heavier drugs.