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Aim: This study examined the prevalence of medicine use for headache, stomachache, difficulties in getting to sleep, nervousness, depression and lack of energy among 15- to 16-year-old students; the relationship between medicine use and students' health status; and the relationship between medicine and nicotine, illegal drug, and alcohol use. Methods: Data were collected from a random sample of ninth-grade students attending Warsaw middle schools (N = 722, 47% females). The self-administered anonymous questionnaire was completed during school lessons. Findings: For a period of 1 month, 52% of the students used medicines for headache and 41% for stomachache at least 1-2 times. The most prevalent pain relievers were over-the-counter medicines based on paracetamol, ibuprofen and drotaverine. A smaller proportion of students (10-13%) used herbal agents to address mental health problems, including difficulties in getting to sleep, nervousness and bad mood. Girls were more likely to use pain relievers and medicines for nervousness. The results of logistic regression showed that after controlling for gender, all variables related to health status increased risk of medicine use for mental health problems. Cigarette smoking was associated with medicine use for headache. No association was found, however, between medicine use and use of alcohol and illicit drugs. This may suggest that medicine use and consumption of other psychoactive substances constitute two distinct phenomena. (Contains 5 tables.)

This study, conducted every 4 years since 1984, is aimed at monitoring alcohol, tobacco, tranquillizers and illegal drug-use trends among 15-year-olds from Warsaw. The self-report data are taken from a representative sample of students attending schools in three districts of Warsaw (sample size ranged from 1461 to 3918 in the different study waves). Between late 1980s and mid-1990s a significant increase in youth substance use, including alcohol, cigarettes and illegal drugs, has been documented. The most recent results (from 2000 to 2004) indicated stabilization in alcohol and illegal drug use and decrease in tobacco use. The trend in the use of tranquillizers/sleeping pills was relatively stable over the past 16 years. However, changes in adolescent substance use differ across gender. While boys as a group became more restrained in substance use, girls remained at the same level or continued to show increasing trends (e.g. in getting drunk). These differences reflect changes in young female risky behaviours. (Contains 8 tables, 1 figure and 1 note.)

AbstractBackground: Polysubstance use is common among individuals who use psychoactive substances and is associated with higher substance use-related risks than non-polysubstance use. Epidemiological studies show the highest prevalence rates of substance use disorders (SUDs) among young adults. However, determining who will develop SUDs is complicated by an interplay between interactions of biological, psychological, and social factors, and not just the substance use itself. This study sought to explore potential patterns of polysubstance use as an interplay between substance use, substance use setting, and a number of potentially distal outcomes.Method: Latent Profile Analysis of a large, cross-sectional survey of Polish young adults using various substances in the last 12 months (N = 7325; 18–30 years old; M = 22.3, SD = 3.63; 69.1% male), was conducted.Results: Five distinct profiles were identified, that ranged from low, through moderate to high polysubstance use patterns with different prominent substances of use. Cannabis use was high across all profiles and did not differentiate between them well. Use of dissociatives and frequent polysubstance use across settings (except for using alone) were most strongly associated with negative substance-related outcomes (e.g. SUDs).Conclusions: Polysubstance use across different settings may not necessarily carry greater substance-related risks than being alone while using specific substances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]