This study seeks to provide robust evidence on the complex interplay between individual, relational, and socioeconomic factors to inform drug policies and interventions targeting adolescents.
To achieve this, data from the 2023 nationally representative ESPAD®Italia survey, encompassing high-school students aged 15–19, are integrated with data collected from adolescents in therapeutic communities for drug use disorders.
The study examines a range of individual factors, including gender, age, free-time activities, violent behaviors, and other risk behaviors. Environmental influences include family composition, socioeconomic status, school connectedness, parenting style, the quality of peer and parent relationships, and access to money. Through the use of factorial techniques (principal component analysis and multidimentional scaling), the variables considered are synthesised into a small number of synthetic indicators that summarise the most salient information.
Substance use behaviors are analyzed across a spectrum of illicit substances, from cannabis and synthetic drugs to opioids. Data integration techniques are used to include other data sources on young adolescents in treatment for substance use disorders. The research also investigates the use of non-prescribed pharmaceuticals for attention, weight loss, sleep, pain relief, and anabolic steroids, with particular attention given to patterns of initiation and polydrug use.
By comparing ESPAD data with that of adolescents undergoing treatment for substance use disorders, the study provides a nuanced understanding of the interplay between these factors in developing high-risk substance use. The findings are intended to identify critical individual and environmental drivers that can guide the development of more effective and targeted drug policies and interventions.