# Clinical study on the characteristics and related influencing factors of deliberate drug ingestion in adolescents

## TL;DR

This study examines why adolescents intentionally ingest drugs and identifies factors like mental health and family environment that contribute to this behavior.

## Contribution

The study identifies multiple controllable risk factors for deliberate drug ingestion in adolescents through a clinical analysis.

## Key findings

- The number of adolescents with mental health issues presenting with deliberate drug ingestion is increasing.
- Family type, parents' medication knowledge, and mental health status are independent risk factors for deliberate drug ingestion.
- Negative life events and low social support are significant contributors to deliberate drug ingestion in adolescents.

## Abstract

To analyze the characteristics of deliberate drug ingestion in adolescents and its related influencing factors.

This was a retrospective study. A total of 158 cases of deliberate drug ingestion as observation group and 160 cases of other diseases in adolescents as control group were treated in the Emergency Department of Baoding Hospital of Beijing Children’s Hospital Affiliated to Capital Medical University from January 2020 to December 2022. The clinical characteristics of adolescents who engaged in deliberate drug ingestion were analyzed, and various factors that could potentially influence deliberate drug ingestion in adolescents were subjected to both univariate and multivariate analysis.

There was a progressive increase in the number of patients presenting with mental health issues year by year. Univariate analysis showed that family type, guardian’s education level, place of residence, whether they were only children, parents’ knowledge of medication, awareness of medication safety, depression/anxiety, negative life events, and social support were risk factors for deliberate drug ingestion in adolescents (all p<0.05). Logistic regression analysis showed that family type, parents’ knowledge of medication, awareness of medication safety, whether they were depressed/anxious, negative life events, and social support were independent risk factors for deliberate drug ingestion in adolescents (p<0.05).

The incidence of deliberate drug ingestion in adolescents is increasing year by year, and their behavior is influenced by multiple factors. Interventions should be targeted at controllable influencing factors to prevent or reduce deliberate drug ingestion in adolescents.