Skip to main navigation menu Skip to main content Skip to site footer
##common.pageHeaderLogo.altText##

Original article

Vol. 141 No. 2122 (2011)

Do Swiss adolescents perceive the negative effects of their illegal substance use?

  • M Gaille
  • RE Belanger
DOI
https://doi.org/10.4414/smw.2011.13194
Cite this as:
Swiss Med Wkly. 2011;141:w13194
Published
23.05.2011

Summary

This study explores adolescents’ perceptions of adverse consequences linked to their illegal psychoactive substance (IPS) use, as they are often thought to minimise them. From a Swiss nationally representative sample of 8740 adolescents aged 16 to 20 pursuing post-mandatory education, 2515 participants reported IPS use in the past month on a self-administered anonymous questionnaire. The percentages of participants reporting problems in four areas (individual, school, relationships and sexual) were assessed, depending on the type of IPS consumption over the last 30 days: occasional cannabis users: ≤2 times; regular cannabis users: ≥3 times; and poly-consumers: cannabis plus at least one other substance used. The percentages varied significantly across these three groups with 26.9% of occasional users, 53.8% of regular users, and 73.3% of poly-consumers reporting at least one problem. Compared to occasional cannabis users, poly-consumers were more likely to report problems in all four categories [relative risk ratio (RRR): 3.38 to 5.44], while regular cannabis users often reported only school and relationship problems [RRR: 2.43 to 3.23]. Thus, many adolescents seem to perceive the negative effects of their IPS use, with heavier consumption being associated with increasing problems. Physicians should feel confident questioning adolescents on the adverse consequences of their IPS consumption, as they are likely to be responsive on this issue.

References

  1. Banken JA. Drug abuse trends among youth in the United States. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2004;1025:465–71.
  2. Kuntsche EN. Progression of a general substance use pattern among adolescents in Switzerland? Investigating the relationship between alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use over a 12-year period. Eur Addict Res. 2004;10(3):118–25.
  3. Michaud PA, Berchtold A, Jeannin A, Chossis I, Suris JC. Secular trends in legal and illegal substance use among 16 to 20 year old adolescents in Switzerland. Swiss Med Wkly. 2006;136(19-20):318–26.
  4. Sigfusdottir ID, Kristjansson AL, Thorlindsson T, Allegrante JP. Trends in prevalence of substance use among Icelandic adolescents, 1995–2006. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2008;3:12.
  5. Degenhardt L, Lynskey M, Hall W. Cohort trends in the age of initiation of drug use in Australia. Aust N Z J Public Health. 2000;24(4):421–6.
  6. Currie C, Gabhainn S, Godeau E, Roberts C, Smith R, Currie D, et al. Inequalities in Young People’s Health: HBSC international report from the 2005/2006 Survey. 2008. Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe.
  7. Bond L, Butler H, Thomas L, Carlin J, Glover S, Bowes G, et al. Social and school connectedness in early secondary school as predictors of late teenage substance use, mental health, and academic outcomes. J Adolesc Health. 2007;40(4):357–18.
  8. Faggiano F, Vigna-Taglianti FD, Versino E, Zambon A, Borraccino A, Lemma P. School-based prevention for illicit drugs’ use. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2005;(2):CD003020.
  9. Jones SE, Fisher CJ, Greene BZ, Hertz MF, Pritzl J. Healthy and safe school environment, Part I: Results from the School Health Policies and Programs Study 2006. J Sch Health. 2007;77(8):522–43.
  10. McCambridge J, Strang J. Deterioration over time in effect of Motivational Interviewing in reducing drug consumption and related risk among young people. Addiction. 2005;100(4):470–8.
  11. Liddle HA, Dakof GA, Turner RM, Henderson CE, Greenbaum PE. Treating adolescent drug abuse: a randomized trial comparing multidimensional family therapy and cognitive behavior therapy. Addiction. 2008;103(10):1660–70.
  12. Konings E et al. Identifying Adolescent Drug Users Results of a National Survey on Adolescent Health in Switzerland. J Adolesc Health. 1995;16:240–7.
  13. Caldeira KM, Arria AM, O’Grady KE, Vincent KB, Wish ED. The occurrence of cannabis use disorders and other cannabis-related problems among first-year college students. Addict Behav. 2008;33(3):397–411.
  14. Kilmer JR, Hunt SB, Lee CM, Neighbors C. Marijuana use, risk perception, and consequences: is perceived risk congruent with reality? Addict Behav. 2007;32(12):3026–33.
  15. Mayock P. “Scripting” risk: Young people and the construction of drug journeys. Drugs: Education, Prevention, and Policy. 2005;12(5):349–68.
  16. Jeannin A, Narring F, Tschumper A, Bonivento LI, Addor V, Bütikofer A, et al. Self-reported health needs and use of primary health care services by adolescents enrolled in post-mandatory schools or vocational training programmes in Switzerland. Swiss Med Wkly. 2005;135(1–2):11–8.
  17. Suris JC et al. Some Go Without a Cigarette; Characteristics of Cannabis Users Who Have Never Smoked Tobacco. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007;161(11):1042–7.
  18. Degenhardt L, Coffey C, Moran P, Carlin JB, Patton GC. The predictors and consequences of adolescent amphetamine use: findings from the Victoria Adolescent Health Cohort Study. Addiction. 2007;102(7):1076–84.
  19. Hall W, Solowij N. Adverse effects of cannabis. Lancet. 1998;352(9140):1611–6.
  20. Looby A, Earleywine M. Negative consequences associated with dependence in daily cannabis users. Subst Abuse Treat Prev Policy. 2007;2:3.
  21. Zufferey A, Michaud PA, Jeannin A, Berchtold A, Chossis I, van Melle G, et al. Cumulative risk factors for adolescent alcohol misuse and its perceived consequences among 16 to 20 year old adolescents in Switzerland. Prev Med. 2007;45(2-3):233–9.
  22. Brant R, Assessing Proportionality in the Proportional Odds Model for Ordinal Logistic Regression. Biometrics, 1990;46:1171.
  23. Holsen I, Kraft P, Vitterso J. Stability in depressed mood in adolescence: Results from a 6-year longitudinal panel study. J Youth Adolesc. 2000;29(1):61–78.
  24. Patton GC, Coffey C, Lynskey MT, Reid S, Hemphill S, Carlin JB, et al. Trajectories of adolescent alcohol and cannabis use into young adulthood. Addiction. 2007;102(4):607–15.
  25. Solowij N, Grenyer BF. Are the adverse consequences of cannabis use age-dependent? Addiction. 2002;97(9):1083–6.
  26. Brook JS, Balka EB, Whiteman M. The risks for late adolescence of early adolescent marijuana use. Am J Public Health. 1999;89(10):1549–54.
  27. Macleod J, Oakes R, Copello A, Crome I, Egger M, Hickman M, et al. Psychological and social sequelae of cannabis and other illicit drug use by young people: a systematic review of longitudinal, general population studies. Lancet. 2004;363(9421):1579–88.
  28. Michaud PA, Delbos-Piot I, Narring F. Silent dropouts in health surveys: are nonrespondent absent teenagers different from those who participate in school-based health surveys? J Adolesc Health. 1998;22(4):326–33.
  29. Borsari B, Carey KB. Effects of a brief motivational intervention with college student drinkers. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2000;68(4):728–33.
  30. McCambridge J. Motivational interviewing is equivalent to more intensive treatment, superior to placebo, and will be tested more widely. Evid Based Ment Health. 2004;7(2):52.
  31. Spirito A, Monti PM, Barnett NP, Colby SM, Sindelar H, Rohsenow DJ, et al. A randomized clinical trial of a brief motivational intervention for alcohol-positive adolescents treated in an emergency department. J Pediatr. 2004;145(3):396–402.
  32. Moffat BM, Johnson JL, Shoveller JA. A gateway to nature: Teenagers’ narratives on smoking marijuana outdoors. J Environ Psychol. 2009;29(1):86–94.
  33. Maycock BR, Howat P, Social capital: implications from an investigation of illegal anabolic steroid networks. Health Educ Res 2007;22(6):854-63.
  34. Menghrajani P, Klaue K, Dubois-Arber F, Michaud PA. Swiss adolescents’ and adults’ perceptions of cannabis use: a qualitative study. Health Educ Res. 2005;20(4):476–84.
  35. Toumbourou JW, Stockwell T, Neighbors C, Marlatt GA, Sturge J, Rehm J. Adolescent health 4 – Interventions to reduce harm associated with adolescent substance use. Lancet. 2007;369(9570):1391–401.
  36. Akre C, Michaud PA, Berchtold A, Suris JC. Cannabis and tobacco use: where are the boundaries? A qualitative study on cannabis consumption modes among adolescents. Health Educ Res. 2010;25(1):74–82.