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Resiliency theory might provide a conceptual framework for understanding why adverse substance-related consequences vary considerably among young adults using psychoactive substances. Protective behavioral strategies (PBS) are behaviors that reduce substance use and related consequences. Despite such suggestions, to date no research has explicitly treated PBS as resilience factors. The purpose of this study was to examine compensatory and protective models of resilience among young adults using various substances. Data were obtained from an online questionnaire distributed through online social networks. Participants were Polish young adults (18–30 years old; M = 22, SD = 3.6; about 30% female and 1.3% non-binary; N = 7253), who reported using substances, other than alcohol or nicotine, in the last 12 months. After controlling for sociodemographics, hierarchical regression analyses of both substance-related harms and SUDs indicated the main effects of risk and protective factors, and the interaction between substance use and PBS. The models explained about 50% and 52% of the dependent variables variance, respectively. The results of this cross-sectional study provide support for both compensatory and protective models of resilience. This presents a rationale for recognizing PBS use as resilience factors that help young adults reduce substance-related harms. Theoretical discussion and practical implications are provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Youth in Poland are at notable risk for substance use. Guided by resiliency theory, we examine if developmental risk and promotive factors are associated with substance abuse risk. Objectives: We examined the association between adolescent cigarette and alcohol use and related risk and promotive factors including maternal support, neighbors' informal social control, friends' acceptance of substance use, and alcohol and cigarette use by nonparental adults. Method: Data were collected from a random sample of 13- to 14-year-old students attending Warsaw middle schools (N = 3029). We used hierarchical regression models and examined compensatory and protective models of resilience, controlling for sociodemograhic factors. Results: Our results indicated that friends' acceptance of substance use and perceived drug use among nonparental adults was associated with increased risk cigarette and alcohol use among youth. We found that maternal support moderated the relationship between friends' acceptance of substance use and cigarette use (protective model of resilience). Thus, mother support buffered the negative effects of friends' acceptance of substance use on youths' cigarette use. Neighbor's informal social control and maternal support were associated with reduced risk of alcohol use (compensatory model of resilience). Conclusion: Collectively, results of the study support compensatory and protective models of resilience in a large representative sample of Warsaw adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the adolescent substance use prevention two competing models can be found: negative and positive. The negative model is entirely focused on risks and problems that young people should avoid. The positive model goes beyond that problem-oriented perspective and calls for positive youth growth and development. Both models of prevention seems to be inadequate to address effectively the challenging problem of adolescent substance use associated consequences. Both models are in fact flawed, but in different ways. Old, negative model neglects the power of individual strengths and ecological developmental assets, while new, positive model is often instrumentally used by politicians and other stakeholders for completely different goals than an informed, science-based prevention. As a result many substance use prevention programs implemented at schools and in communities are neither theoretically nor empirically informed. In order to address these flaws, the model of balanced prevention was outlined. It posits that triple well informed efforts are needed to achieve both specific substance use prevention goals and youth personal/social development. These efforts include protection building, risks reducing and individual assets development support. The proposed model is an ongoing work in progress. It can be considered as an encouragement for international dialogue to build a balanced conceptual foundation for adolescent substance use prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]