Prevalence and correlates of psychoactive substance use in domestic and foreign university students

TL;DR

This study compares substance use patterns between domestic and foreign university students and highlights the need for culturally tailored prevention programs.

Contribution

The study identifies distinct behavioral and cultural patterns in psychoactive substance use among domestic and foreign university students.

Findings

Domestic students smoke, vape, and drink alcohol significantly more than foreign students.

Foreign students show a positive correlation between smoking and alcohol use, unlike domestic students.

Both groups show links between smoking frequency and stress or financial expenses, but with differing correlations to exercise and supplements.

Abstract

Use of psychoactive substances is a risk factor for mental health. Studying the peculiarities of using psychoactive substances by university students is extremely important for organizing preventive health care

To specify the frequency of smoking and alcohol drinking, as well as the peculiarities of the correlational interconnections, in domestic and foreign university students

The survey covered 546 undergraduate domestic and foreign university students of both genders and different religious backgrounds. As a tool, we used the Sociocultural Health Questionnaire (E. Nikolaev)

It has been revealed that domestic students smoke cigarettes and hookahs surely more often (p=.01) than foreign students
(30.49% vs 19.08%). It is obvious that they also more often (p=.01) use electronic cigarettes or vaping drugs (25.24% vs 12.86%) and alcohol (54.42% vs 9.96%). Students in both groups denied using other psychoactive substances. Foreign students reveal positive correlational interconnections between smoking and alcohol drinking (r=.44), while there is no evidence of such interconnections in domestic students. Both groups show valid interconnections between the frequency of smoking and the level of stress (r=.15 и r=.17 correspondingly), the frequency of smoking and monthly financial expenses (r=.21 и r=.22 correspondingly). With domestic students, vaping negatively correlates with exercising in gyms (r=-.12), with foreign students it directly correlates with bodybuilding supplements consumption (r=.15). Those foreign students who drink alcohol more often point to the necessity of having a psychologist in the university (r=.13).

The revealed general and specific factors associated with domestic and foreign students’ use of psychoactive substances call for the necessity of developing culturally differentiated preventive programs

None Declared