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Introduction: Cannabis legalisation was enacted on 17 October 2018 in Canada. Accordingly, the effects of cannabis legalisation on patterns of cannabis consumption were examined among adolescents, including on cannabis initiation, any cannabis use, daily cannabis use and cannabis dependence. Methods: Data from a biennial population‐based, cross‐sectional survey of students in Ontario were pooled in a pre‐post design (2001‐2019; N = 89,238). Participants provided self‐reports of cannabis initiation, any cannabis use, daily cannabis use and cannabis dependence. Long‐term trends in these patterns of cannabis consumption over two decades of observation were characterised to provide a broader context of usage. The effects of cannabis legalisation on patterns of cannabis consumption were quantified using logistic regression analyses. Results: Long‐term trends over the two decades of observation indicated that cannabis initiation decreased and then increased (p = 0.0220), any cannabis use decreased and daily cannabis use decreased (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0001, respectively) and cannabis dependence remained unchanged (p = 0.1187). However, in comparisons between the pre‐cannabis legalisation period (2001–2017) and the post‐cannabis legalisation period (2019), cannabis legalisation was not associated with cannabis initiation (odds ratio; 95% confidence interval 1.00; 0.79–1.27), but it was associated with an increased likelihood of any cannabis use (1.31; 1.12–1.53), daily cannabis use (1.40; 1.09–1.80) and cannabis dependence (1.98; 1.29–3.04). Discussion and Conclusions: Cannabis legalisation was not associated with cannabis initiation, but it was associated with an increased likelihood of any cannabis use, daily cannabis use and cannabis dependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Video game playing has become a very popular activity among adolescents. Its impact on the mental health and well-being of players is just beginning to be explored. This paper reports on the prevalence of problematic gaming in a representative sample of 2,832 Ontario students in grades 7 to 12. The survey included questions about the school grade, family and school related problems, frequency of video game playing and video game related problems as measured by the Problem Video Game Playing scale (PVP). Most of the students (85%) reported playing video games in the past year and 18.3% reported playing video games daily. Slightly less then 1 in 10 of the students (9.4%) endorsed 5 or more of the PVP items (males 15.1%; females 3.1%). Further research is required to delineate the concept of excessive video game playing, its relation to other addictions, and the impact on adolescents' psychosocial functioning.

Anxiety and mood disorders (AMD) may be more common among adolescents than previously thought, and epidemiological research would benefit from an easily-administered measure of AMD. We assessed the ability of the GHQ12 to estimate the prevalence of AMD in a representative sample of Ontario adolescents. Data were based on self-administered questionnaires from 3,311 students in grades 7 through 12 derived from the 2007 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. The GHQ12 showed good ability to identify probable AMD (AUC = 0.80). A threshold value of 5 appeared optimal, and based on this threshold value, the estimated prevalence of AMD in Ontario students in grades 7-12 may be 19%. Observations that individuals with a self-reported history of family disruption, substance use, gambling problems, bullying victimization, and who reported seeking professional help for a mental health problem were significantly more likely to experience probable AMD provided additional validity.

The objective of this study was to examine differences in psychological distress, service utilization, and prescriptions for medications between adolescents with histories of family involvement with child protective services (CPS) and adolescents without such involvement. Data on 3,497 students were obtained from the 2009 cycle of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a province-wide school-based survey of 7th to 12th graders. All analyses adjusted for the complex sample design. Results indicated that individuals who reported histories of family involvement with CPS were more likely to report elevated risk of psychological distress, had a greater number of visits to doctors and other professionals for mental health concerns, and were more likely to have been prescribed medications for depression or anxiety than individuals with no involvement with CPS. These results suggest a need for greater research on service utilization and prescription medications among individuals with histories of family involvement with CPS.

Stigma is a significant barrier to the improvement of the lives of people with schizophrenia. Little is known about the emergence of stigmatizing attitudes developmentally. The purpose of this study was to provide a provincial assessment of adolescent knowledge about schizophrenia and to identify the relationship between adolescent knowledge and social distance toward people with schizophrenia. Data were derived from the 2005 cycle of the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey. In total, 3,117, 7th- to 12th-graders completed self-administered questionnaires that included a measure of schizophrenia knowledge and social distancing. Results indicated that the majority of adolescents had some knowledge about schizophrenia and low social distancing toward people with schizophrenia. Greater knowledge, increasing age, being female, and lower parental education were associated with less distancing attitudes. Educational campaigns to reduce stigma may still be warranted as one component of broader multilevel interventions to overcome mental illness stigma. (Contains 3 tables.)

Objective: Despite high rates of firesetting among community adolescents, little is known about its correlates. This study identifies the mental health and substance use correlates of four firesetting levels in an epidemiological sample of adolescents. Methods: Three thousand, nine hundred and sixty-five (3,965) students in grades 7 to 12 were surveyed. Multinomial analyses were used to compare non-firesetters; desisters (lifetime, but no past-year firesetting); low frequency firesetters (once or twice in the past 12 months); and high frequency firesetters (3 + times) on measures of mental health and substance use. Results: Twenty-seven percent of youth reported firesetting during the past year. Of these, 13.7% reported one or two episodes, and 13.5% reported 3 or more episodes. Firesetting was more prevalent among males and among those in high school. Youth who began firesetting before age 10 were more likely to report frequent firesetting during the past year. Compared to non-firesetters, the firesetting groups had elevated risk profiles. Desisters and low frequency firesetters were more likely to report psychological distress, binge drinking, frequent cannabis use, and sensation seeking. Low frequency firesetters also reported higher rates of delinquent behavior, suicidal intent, and low parental monitoring than non-firesetters. High frequency firesetters reported elevated risk ratios for all of these risk indicators plus other illicit drug use. The cumulative number of risk indicators was positively associated with firesetting severity. Conclusions: Firesetting is associated with psychopathology and substance use during adolescence. Findings highlight the need for programs to address the mental health and substance use problems that co-occur with firesetting.

OBJECTIVE: To examine waterpipe use and its association with demographic factors, tobacco cigarette smoking, ever use of electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) and alcohol use among high school students. METHODS: Data were derived from the 2013 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a school-based survey of 7th to 12th grade students. This province-wide survey was based on a stratified two-stage cluster design. Analyses were based on a subsample of 2,873 high school students and included adjustments for the complex sample design. RESULTS: Overall, 12.5% of high school students (grades 9-12) had used a waterpipe in the previous year. Awareness of waterpipes was high -68.4% of students reported that they were aware of waterpipes but had not used one in the past year; 19.1% had never heard of waterpipes or hookah. The percentage of high school students reporting waterpipe use in the past year was similar to reports of tobacco cigarette use (12.5% and 11% respectively). Waterpipe use was highly associated with past-year tobacco cigarette and regular alcohol use as well as ever use of e-cigarettes. In multivariate analyses, males and females had similar odds of waterpipe use, and non-White students and those in higher grades had greater odds of use after controlling for other substance use. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that waterpipe use among high school students should be of some concern and suggest the need for policy measures to address potential risks associated with use. KEY WORDS: Waterpipe smoking; hookah smoking; adolescents; tobacco use OBJECTIF: Examiner l'usage des pipes a eau et ses associations avec les facteurs demographiques, l'usage de la cigarette de tabac, l'usage passe ou present de la cigarette electronique et la consommation d'alcool chez des eleves du secondaire. METHODE: Nos donnees provenaient du Sondage sur la consommation de drogues et la sante des eleves de l'Ontario (2013), une enquete menee en milieu scolaire aupres des eleves de la 7e a la 12e annee. Ce sondage a l'echelle de la province etait planifie selon un echantillonnage en grappe en deux etapes stratifie. Nos analyses etaient fondees sur un sous-echantillon de 2 873 eleves du secondaire et comportaient des ajustements pour tenir compte de la complexite du plan d'echantillonnage. RESULTATS: Globalement, 12,5% des eleves du secondaire (9e a 12e annee) avaient utilise une pipe a eau l'annee precedente. La connaissance des pipes a eau etait elevee : 68,4% des eleves ont dit en connaitre l'existence, mais ne pas s'en etre servis au cours de l'annee precedente; 19,1% n'avaient jamais entendu parler des pipes a eau ou des narguiles. Le pourcentage d'eleves du secondaire ayant declare avoir fait usage de pipes a eau au cours de l'annee precedente etait semblable a celui des eleves ayant declare avoir fait usage de cigarettes de tabac (12,5% et 11% respectivement). L'usage des pipes a eau etait fortement associe a l'usage de cigarettes de tabac au cours de la derniere annee et a la consommation periodique d'alcool, ainsi qu'a l'usage present ou passe de cigarettes electroniques. Dans les analyses multivariees, les garcons et les filles presentaient des probabilites semblables d'avoir fait usage de pipes a eau, et les eleves non blancs et ceux qui etaient plus avances dans leur parcours scolaire etaient plus susceptibles d'en avoir utilise, apres prise en compte de la consommation d'autres substances. CONCLUSION: Ces constatations montrent que l'usage des pipes a eau chez les eleves du secondaire pourrait etre un motif de preoccupation, et qu'il faudrait prendre des mesures pour aborder les risques potentiels associes a cet usage. MOTS CLES: pipe a eau; narguile; adolescent; tabagisme La traduction du resume se trouve a la fin de l'article. Can J Public Health 2015;106(3):e121-e126 doi: 10.17269/CJPH.106.4764, Public health efforts targeting the reduction of tobacco cigarette smoking have generally been successful, cigarette smoking being at a low point among youth. (1) There are increasing concerns, however, that [...]

OBJECTIVE: To examine energy drink consumption and its association with demographic characteristics, drug use, and injury among adolescents. METHODS: Data on 4,342 adolescents were derived from the 2011 Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a province-wide school-based survey of students in grades 7 through 12. The survey was based on a two-stage cluster design and analyses include appropriate adjustments for the complex sample design. RESULTS: Overall, 49.6% of adolescents had consumed energy drinks in the previous year. A total of 13.8% of seventh grade students had consumed energy drinks in the previous week compared to 19.1% of adolescents overall. Energy drink consumption in the previous year was highly associated with having used tobacco and cannabis in the previous year, the non-medicinal use of prescription drugs in the previous year, and binge drinking in the previous month. Consumption was also highly associated with sensation-seeking and self-reports of medical treatment for an injury (reported by 16% and 42% of adolescents, respectively). The odds of consuming energy drinks did not vary significantly for males and females, and sex was not a significant moderator of the associations examined. CONCLUSION: These findings support the need for greater awareness of the extent of energy drink consumption among individual adolescents and the potential that additional health and behavioural risks may be associated with consumption. KEY WORDS: Energy drinks; drug use; injury; sensation-seeking OBJECTIF: Examiner la consommation de boissons energisantes et son association avec le profil demographique, la consommation de drogue et les traumatismes chez les adolescents. METHODE: Les donnees sur 4 342 adolescents provenaient du Sondage sur la consommation de drogues et la sante des eleves de l'Ontario (2011), une enquete provinciale menee en milieu scolaire aupres des eleves de la 7e a la 12e annee. Le sondage etait planifie selon un echantillonnage en grappe en deux etapes, et les analyses ont ete adaptees a la complexite du plan d'echantillonnage. RESULTATS: Globalement, 49,6 % des adolescents avaient consomme des boissons energisantes au cours de l'annee precedente. En tout, 13,8 % des eleves de 7e annee en avaient consomme au cours de la semaine precedente, contre 19,1 % des adolescents dans l'ensemble. La consommation de boissons energisantes au cours de l'annee precedente etait fortement associee a la consommation de tabac et de cannabis au cours de l'annee precedente, a l'utilisation de medicaments sur ordonnance a des fins non medicinales au cours de l'annee precedente et aux exces occasionnels d'alcool au cours du mois precedent. La consommation etait aussi fortement associee a la recherche de sensations fortes et aux declarations autonomes de soins medicaux pour traumatisme (declarees par 16 % et 42 % des adolescents, respectivement). La probabilite d'avoir consomme des boissons energisantes ne variait pas sensiblement entre les garcons et les filles, et le sexe n'etait pas une variable moderatrice significative dans les associations examinees. CONCLUSION: Ces constatations confirment le besoin de mieux connaitre l'ampleur de la consommation des boissons energisantes par les adolescents et la possibilite que cette consommation soit associee a des risques supplementaires pour la sante et le comportement. MOTS CLES: boissons energisantes; consommation de drogue; traumatismes; recherche de sensations fortes, First introduced in the US and Canada in the 1990s, the popularity of energy drinks has increased rapidly, with consumption in the US estimated at 6 billion energy drinks in [...]

The objective of this study was to examine the association of ethnoracial background and immigrant status to cannabis use among students in Ontario, Canada. Data were derived from the Ontario Student Drug Use and Health Survey, a school-based, province-wide survey of students in Grades 7–12. The survey utilized a stratified two-stage cluster design. Analyses were based on a pooled subsample of 12,527 students in Grades 9–12 during the 2011 and 2013 survey cycles and included adjustments for the complex sample design. Results indicate that youth who were of South Asian or East/Southeast Asian background were at lower odds of cannabis use than those who were White, Black, or mixed-race backgrounds. Youth who were of mixed-race background (i.e., White and another group) were at higher odds of cannabis use than youth who were of White background. The association between ethnoracial background and cannabis use also varied for some foreign-born and native-born youth. These findings suggest that ethnoracial background should be an important consideration in investigations of cannabis use among foreign- relative to native-born youth. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]