Association between Mental Health and the Use of Electronic Cigarettes and other Drugs among Mexican University Students
Main Article Content
Abstract
Introduction: in Mexico, the use of drugs and electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) has increased considerably, with the university population showing the highest prevalence. Despite being a current issue, there are few studies that simultaneously evaluate mental health, mental well-being, and the consumption of drugs and e-cigarettes in Mexican university students are scarce.
Objective: to analyze the association between mental health and the use of drugs and e-cigarettes in Mexican university students.
Method: a cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted with a sample of 422 university students. Instruments included the drug use frequency item from the ASSIST v3.1 test, the Global Adult Tobacco Survey (GATS), the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), and the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale (WEMWBS).
Results: tobacco and e-cigarette use were associated with stress, depression, and anxiety; alcohol use was associated with stress and mental well-being; cannabis use was associated with stress; cocaine use was associated with stress, depression, and mental well-being; stimulant use was associated solely with mental well-being; and the use of sedatives and other drugs was associated with stress, depression, anxiety subscales, and mental well-being. Having used e-cigarettes at least once predicted higher scores for stress, anxiety, and depression, whereas current daily use was associated with lower mental well-being.
Discussion and conclusions: the findings support the need to develop strategies for the prevention, detection, and treatment of substance use behaviors, particularly among young adults and in higher education settings.
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