Oportunidades de exposición al uso de drogas entre estudiantes de secundaria de la ciudad de México

Abstract

SUMMARY Introduction. Our research took place following a prior work developed by James C. Anthony's research group, over the past ten years. In this group's research, the concept of exposure to opportunities to use drugs has been deemed as a useful element to understand the earliest stages of drug involvement, as well as the transition from using one drug such as tobacco and alcohol to consuming other drugs. The concept of exposure opportunity is based on Wade Hampton Frost's balanced force model, which underscores the importance of exposure for an epidemic to happen. The concept of exposure to opportunities to use a drug refers to the chance one may have to use any particular drug, for instance a friend or relative who invites someone to use the drug; to use the drug after actively seeking out the opportunity, or else to have being exposed to an opportunity, without any active involvement (when the drug is being used by others and could have been used if wanted, or after an unexpected finding of a drug which was left or hidden by someone else). In spite of the relevance of the exposure to opportunity concept, very little research has been conducted in Mexico in this area. However, before more research on the matter may take place, it is necessary to develop appropriate measurement instruments for large-scale studies. The main goals of this study were to develop an instrument to assess exposure to opportunities to use drugs, and to obtain a first estimation of the degree to which middle schools students have been exposed to the use of inhalant drugs, marihuana, and cocaine. Methods. Quali-quantitative methods were used in this research, which were used for the whole population of students of two middle schools located in the Historic downtown area of Mexico City. Prior work had been developed at these schools, which allowed to have a better understanding of certain characteristics of the school population, of their parents, and also of the specific organization of the schools. The qualitative area of the study was developed first, as the basis on which the quantitative area would be developed later. Focal groups were selected in order to assess if students could understand and accurately report timing and sequence of exposure to opportunities to use drugs. The focal groups were also used to evaluate the potential usefulness of items for a self-administered, paper and pencil survey. The survey was then designed, with questions on exposure to opportunities to use each of the following substances or groups of substances: alcohol, tobacco, marihuana, cocaine, and inhalant drugs, and in regard to current use of each drug. The questionnaire also included other sections to assess suicide ideation and attempts, exposure to violence, depression, and free-time activities. Results from these sections will be reported in future. For each of the sections we used revised versions of previously developed instruments, with the exception of the specific section on violence exposure that was especially introduced in this survey for the first time. It might also be noteworthy that the depression section included a revised version of the CES-D scale, originally developed by Eaton and colleagues in the US, and which has been translated and adapted in Mexico.

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