Supervisors info:
Παπαρρηγόπουλος Θωμάς, Καθηγητής, Ιατρική σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Τζαβέλλας Ηλίας, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Τριανταφύλλου Καλλιόπη, Επιστημονική Συνεργάτις, Ιατρική σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
Introduction: Substance use (e.g. alcohol or cannabis) is a phenomenon that occurs in a variety of societies and historical contexts, particularly at young ages. Substances, thanks to their psychotropic effect, can provide an outlet for individuals. It appears that the existence of mental disorders (e.g. phobias) may be associated with substance use and, in particular, with an easier transition to use in general (e.g. alcohol use).
Aim: This study investigates the association between cannabis and alcohol use and the existence of feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness in undergraduate students at Greek universities. More specifically, the objectives are: 1) to investigate the levels of alcohol and cannabis use in the student population 2) to investigate the association of use with feelings of anxiety, depression and loneliness 3) to investigate the association of the variables with demographic data.
Methodology: A cross-sectional online study was conducted with a sample of 440 undergraduate students of Greek universities, public and private. The duration of the study was from October 2023 to January 2024. The CUDIT scale was used to detect cannabis use and the AUDIT scale was used to detect alcohol use. The GAD-2 tool was included to explore feelings of anxiety, the PHQ-9 for feelings of depression and the UCLA for loneliness. At the same time, the questionnaire included demographic data questions about gender, type of university, type of study department, age, marital status, sport.
Results: 26.1% of the study sample (n=115) had used cannabis in the last 6 months, while 73.9% (n=325) had not used cannabis. Regarding alcohol use, 72.3% (n=305) were at low-risk levels of use (categorised according to the AUDIT scale), 22% (n=93) were using at risk, 3.6% (n=15) were using harmfully and 2.1% (n=9) were experiencing the presence or onset of alcohol dependence. Greater loneliness and more alcohol disorders were felt by those with severe depression (p<0.001 and p=0.015 respectively). The same was observed in Generalized Anxiety Disorder.
Conclusions: Despite the limitations, the present study contributes significantly to a better understanding of the association of cannabis and alcohol use with depressive/anxiety symptomatology and loneliness in a student population, as it offers an alternative perspective on the phenomenon, strengthening the international literature and adding new, important data to the Greek data. A correlation between symptoms and use was indeed shown, with a variety of factors influencing the levels observed.
Keywords:
Cannabis use, Alcohol use, Anxiety, Depression, Loneliness
