IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/socpsy/v70y2024i4p808-817.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Substance use and its association with mental health among Swiss medical students: A cross-sectional study

Author

Listed:
  • Jacques Gaume
  • Valérie Carrard
  • Sylvie Berney
  • Céline Bourquin
  • Alexandre Berney

Abstract

Background: Studies on mental health and substance use among medical students indicated worrying prevalence but have been mainly descriptive. Aim: To evaluate the prevalence of substance use in a sample of medical students and investigate whether mental health variables have an influence on substance use. Methods: The data were collected as part of the first wave of the ETMED-L, an ongoing longitudinal open cohort study surveying medical students at the University of Lausanne (Switzerland). N  = 886 students were included and completed an online survey including measures of mental health (depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, stress, and burnout) and use of and risk related with several substances (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, stimulants, sedatives, hallucinogens, opioids, nonmedical prescription drugs, and neuroenhancement drugs). We evaluated the prevalence of use of each substance and then tested the association between mental health and substance use in an Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling framework. Results: Statistical indices indicated a four-factor solution for mental health and a three-factor solution for substance use. A factor comprising risk level for alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use – which were the most prevalent substances – was significantly associated with a burnout factor and a factor related to financial situation and side job stress. There was a significant association between a factor comprising depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation and a factor related to the use of sedatives, nonmedical prescription drugs and neuroenhancement drugs. Although their use was less prevalent, a factor comprising the risk level of stimulants and cocaine use was significantly but more mildly related to the burnout factor. A factor comprising stress related to studies and work/life balance as well as emotional exhaustion was not related to substance use factors. Conclusion: In this sample of medical students, the prevalence of substance use was substantial and poorer mental health status was related with higher substance use risk levels.

Suggested Citation

  • Jacques Gaume & Valérie Carrard & Sylvie Berney & Céline Bourquin & Alexandre Berney, 2024. "Substance use and its association with mental health among Swiss medical students: A cross-sectional study," International Journal of Social Psychiatry, , vol. 70(4), pages 808-817, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:70:y:2024:i:4:p:808-817
    DOI: 10.1177/00207640241232321
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00207640241232321
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/00207640241232321?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Stéphane Deline & Stéphanie Baggio & Joseph Studer & Alexandra A. N'Goran & Marc Dupuis & Yves Henchoz & Meichun Mohler-Kuo & Jean-Bernard Daeppen & Gerhard Gmel, 2014. "Use of Neuroenhancement Drugs: Prevalence, Frequency and Use Expectations in Switzerland," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 11(3), pages 1-14, March.
    2. Travis Tian-Ci Quek & Wilson Wai-San Tam & Bach X. Tran & Min Zhang & Zhisong Zhang & Cyrus Su-Hui Ho & Roger Chun-Man Ho, 2019. "The Global Prevalence of Anxiety Among Medical Students: A Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-18, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Arndt Büssing & Michaela Zupanic & Jan P. Ehlers & Angelika Taetz-Harrer, 2022. "Mental Stress in Medical Students during the Pandemic and Their Relation to Digital and Hybrid Semester—Cross-Sectional Data from Three Recruitment Waves in Germany," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(17), pages 1-18, September.
    2. Michelle Hui Lim Lee & Manveen Kaur & Vinorra Shaker & Anne Yee & Rohana Sham & Ching Sin Siau, 2023. "Cyberbullying, Social Media Addiction and Associations with Depression, Anxiety, and Stress among Medical Students in Malaysia," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-13, February.
    3. Ida Heitmann Løset & Torgils Lægreid & Ewa Rodakowska, 2022. "Dental Students’ Experiences during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Cross-Sectional Study from Norway," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(5), pages 1-10, March.
    4. Ewa Kupcewicz & Marzena Mikla & Helena Kadučáková & Elżbieta Grochans & Maria Dolores Roldán Valcarcel & Anna Maria Cybulska, 2022. "Correlation between Positive Orientation and Control of Anger, Anxiety and Depression in Nursing Students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(4), pages 1-18, February.
    5. Izyan A. Wahab & Khang Wen Goh & Zainol Akbar Zainal & Najlaa Siham Mohamed Yusof & Hasniza Zaman Huri & Sabrina Anne Jacob & Muhammad Najib Mohamad Alwi & Rosnani Hashim & Shairyzah Ahmad Hisham & Nu, 2022. "Targeted Primary and Secondary Preventive Strategies for Depression among Malaysian Pharmacy Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-14, August.
    6. Clara Maestre-Miquel & Francisco Martín-Rodríguez & Carlos Durantez-Fernández & José L. Martín-Conty & Antonio Viñuela & Begoña Polonio-López & Carmen Romo-Barrientos & Juan José Criado-Álvarez & Fran, 2022. "Gender Differences in Anxiety, Attitudes, and Fear among Nursing Undergraduates Coping with CPR Training with PPE Kit for COVID," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-11, November.
    7. Edyta Skwirczyńska & Mateusz Kozłowski & Katarzyna Nowak & Oskar Wróblewski & Agnieszka Sompolska-Rzechuła & Sebastian Kwiatkowski & Aneta Cymbaluk-Płoska, 2022. "Anxiety Assessment in Polish Students during the Russian–Ukrainian War," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-13, October.
    8. Jorge L. Piscoya-Tenorio & Walter V. Heredia-Rioja & Noelia Morocho-Alburqueque & Sandra Zeña-Ñañez & Palmer J. Hernández-Yépez & Cristian Díaz-Vélez & Virgilo E. Failoc-Rojas & Mario J. Valladares-Ga, 2023. "Prevalence and Factors Associated with Anxiety and Depression in Peruvian Medical Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(4), pages 1-9, February.
    9. Matteo Carpi & Annarita Vestri, 2022. "The Mediating Role of Sleep Quality in the Relationship between Negative Emotional States and Health-Related Quality of Life among Italian Medical Students," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(1), pages 1-14, December.
    10. Firas Mourad & Sonia Mangialavori & Antonella Delle Fave, 2022. "Resilience and Experience of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Italian University Students: A Mixed-Method Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-16, September.
    11. Kazuki Tokumasu & Yoshito Nishimura & Yoko Sakamoto & Mikako Obika & Hitomi Kataoka & Fumio Otsuka, 2023. "Differences in Stress Perception of Medical Students Depending on In-Person Communication and Online Communication during the COVID−19 Pandemic: A Japanese Cross-Sectional Survey," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(2), pages 1-10, January.
    12. Isabel Lasheras & Patricia Gracia-García & Darren M. Lipnicki & Juan Bueno-Notivol & Raúl López-Antón & Concepción de la Cámara & Antonio Lobo & Javier Santabárbara, 2020. "Prevalence of Anxiety in Medical Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Rapid Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-12, September.
    13. Wandeep Kaur & Vimala Balakrishnan & Yoke Yong Chen & Jeyarani Periasamy, 2022. "Mental Health Risk Factors and Coping Strategies among Students in Asia Pacific during COVID-19 Pandemic—A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-15, July.
    14. Vincenza Cofini & Enrico Perilli & Annalucia Moretti & Valeria Bianchini & Matteo Perazzini & Mario Muselli & Sabrina Lanzi & Loreta Tobia & Leila Fabiani & Stefano Necozione, 2022. "E-Learning Satisfaction, Stress, Quality of Life, and Coping: A Cross-Sectional Study in Italian University Students a Year after the COVID-19 Pandemic Began," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-17, July.
    15. Julia Wyszomirska & Monika Bąk-Sosnowska & Anna Daniel-Sielańczyk, 2023. "Anxious and Angry: Early Emotional Adaptation of Medical Students in a Situational Crisis on the Example of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-15, January.
    16. Mokhwelepa Leshata Winter & Sumbane Gsakani Olivia, 2024. "A Scoping Review of Mental Health Needs and Challenges among Medical Students within South African Universities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(5), pages 1-12, May.
    17. Marius Baranauskas & Ingrida Kupčiūnaitė & Rimantas Stukas, 2022. "Mental Health and Physical Activity of Female Higher Education Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Study from Lithuania," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-19, August.
    18. Ke Ran Tee & Abdul Samat Ismail & Yong Heng Ang & Hidayah Husna Hishamuddin & Vinneeshah Jacob Paul & Azimatun Noor Aizuddin & Ida Zarina Zaini, 2022. "Prevalence of Anxiety and Burnout, and Coping Mechanisms among Clinical Year Medical Undergraduate Students in Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(20), pages 1-14, October.
    19. Rosa Cabanas-Valdés & Mª Dolores Toro-Coll & Sara Cruz-Sicilia & Laura García-Rueda & Pere Ramón Rodríguez-Rubio & Jordi Calvo-Sanz, 2021. "The Immediate Effect of Informational Manual Therapy for Improving Quiet Standing and Bodily Pain in University Population," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(9), pages 1-15, May.
    20. Julia Dratva & Annina Zysset & Nadine Schlatter & Agnes von Wyl & Marion Huber & Thomas Volken, 2020. "Swiss University Students’ Risk Perception and General Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-11, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:socpsy:v:70:y:2024:i:4:p:808-817. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.