Among 1,432 Seychelles students aged 11-17, substance use (cannabis, alcohol, tobacco) was associated with suicidal ideation, truancy, and poor parental monitoring.
Read this if you are interested in risk factors for adolescent substance use in diverse cultural settings.
Suicidal ideation and poor parental monitoring linked to substance use in teens
What the researchers found
A school survey of 1,432 students aged 11-17 from all secondary schools in the Seychelles examined associations between substance use and psychosocial characteristics.
Substance use (cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, and cannabis use) was more prevalent in boys and increased with age. After adjusting for age, several individual-level risk factors were associated with substance use, including suicidal ideation and truancy.
At the family level, poor parental monitoring was associated with substance use. The authors emphasized that substance use clustered with other risk behaviors, suggesting health promotion programs should address multiple behaviors simultaneously.
Why it matters
This study from a developing small island state provided data from an under-represented region, showing that the association between substance use and psychosocial risk factors was consistent across diverse cultural contexts.
The numbers in context
1,432 students aged 11-17. All secondary schools sampled. Boys had higher prevalence. Substance use increased with age. Suicidal ideation, truancy, and poor parental monitoring were significant correlates.
How the study worked
Cross-sectional school survey using the Global School-based Health Survey (GSHS) methodology. Representative sample of 1,432 students aged 11-17 from all secondary schools. Self-administered anonymous questionnaire. Adjusted analyses accounted for classroom clustering effects.
What this study cannot tell us
Cross-sectional design cannot establish causation. Self-reported anonymous questionnaire may be subject to social desirability bias. Cannabis use may be underreported in an African island context.
How to read the evidence
Representative school survey with standard methodology but cross-sectional design and self-reported data.
When this study was published
Published in 2011. Global adolescent substance use research has continued to expand to diverse settings.
The bigger picture
The co-occurrence of substance use with multiple risk behaviors across diverse cultural settings supported integrated prevention approaches rather than substance-specific interventions.
Questions still open
- Are the risk factors for substance initiation versus progression different in this population? Would family-based interventions targeting parental monitoring reduce adolescent substance use?
Common questions
What risk factors predicted teen substance use?
Where are the Seychelles?
Read the original research
Association between substance use and psychosocial characteristics among adolescents of the Seychelles.
BMC pediatrics, 11, 85
Citation
Alwan, Heba; Viswanathan, Bharathi; Rousson, Valentin; Paccaud, Fred; Bovet, Pascal. (2011). Association between substance use and psychosocial characteristics among adolescents of the Seychelles.. BMC pediatrics, 11, 85. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2431-11-85
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