Use and abuse of licit and illicit substances: prevalence and risk factors among students in Lebanon

Journal Article

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European addiction research

Eur.Addict.Res.

Dec

189

197

LR: 20041117; JID: 9502920; 0 (Street Drugs); ppublish

Switzerland

1022-6877; 1022-6877

PMID: 11124572

eng

Journal Article; IM

52045 [pii]

Unknown(0)

11124572

OBJECTIVE: This study aims at examining the patterns of 'substance' use in Lebanon among an 'at risk' population, the university students. METHOD: A stratified cluster sample of 1,851 students from two major universities was included in the study and the Diagnostic Interview Schedule (version 3) was administered. RESULTS: The prevalence of nicotine users in the sample was 18.3% and of ever consuming alcohol 49.4%. 2.1% of the sample were alcohol abusers and 2.4% alcohol dependents according to DSM-III criteria. For the remaining substances, tranquilizers were found to have the highest rate of ever use (10.2%), whereas heroin had the lowest rate (0.4%); the rates of abuse and dependence in these categories (other than alcohol and nicotine) following DSM-III criteria ranged from 0.1 to 0.8%. CONCLUSION: University students in Lebanon in this study have relatively low rates of use and abuse of substances but this might be changing.

Adolescent, Adult, Alcohol Drinking/epidemiology, Alcoholism/epidemiology, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Incidence, Lebanon/epidemiology, Male, Risk Factors, Smoking/epidemiology, Street Drugs, Students/statistics & numerical data, Substance-Related Disorders/epidemiology

Karam,E., Melhem,N., Mansour,C., Maalouf,W., Saliba,S., Chami,A.

Department of Psychiatry, St. George Hospital, Beirut, Lebanon. egkaram@dm.net.lb

http://vp9py7xf3h.search.serialssolutions.com/?charset=utf-8&pmid=11124572

2000