Alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, anxiety and depression among second-year medical students. Identify in order to act

• Published in: Santé publique (Vandoeuvre-lès-Nancy, France) Vol. 26; no. 5; pp. 613 - 620
• Main Authors: Vaysse, Benoît, Gignon, Maxime, Zerkly, Salah, Ganry, Olivier
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: French
• Published: France 01-09-2014
• Subjects: Adolescent; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Anxiety Disorders - epidemiology; Depression - epidemiology; Female; Humans; Male; Marijuana Smoking - epidemiology; Sex Factors; Smoking - epidemiology; Students, Medical - statistics & numerical data; Surveys and Questionnaires; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0995-3914
• DOI: 10.3917/spub.145.0613

Excessive alcohol consumption and illicit drug use among students have negative repercussions on their health, education and society in general. Medical students are no exception.
The objective of this study was to evaluate the consumption of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis as well as levels of anxiety and depression of students admitted to the second year of medical studies based on anonymous self-administered questionnaires containing the following tests: AUDIT, Fagerstrom, CAST and HAD.
198 of the 207 students involved agreed to participate. Excessive alcohol consumption was higher among women than among men (35% versus 22%), but fewer women were alcohol-dependent (2% versus 8%) (p < 0.05). 16% of students were tobacco smokers, with no signs of dependence in 80% of cases. 15% of students smoked cannabis and 52% of them presented problem use. 21% of women had a suspected anxiety disorder and 23% had a proven anxiety disorder, versus 17% and 6% of men, respectively (p = 0.002). 3% had a suspected depressive disorder and 0.5% had a proven depressive disorder. High-risk alcohol consumption was significantly correlated with high-risk cannabis use. No correlation was demonstrated between anxiety or depression and these consumptions.
Doctors appear to be particularly affected by psychological disorders or addictions and medical students are paradoxically less likely than the general population to receive appropriate care. Universities must provide monitoring and support for students in order to improve their health, but also to enable them to provide care and appropriate educational messages to their patients.