Life of university students is often viewed as a time of experimenting with different kinds of behaviors that may be risky. However, university students are usually not considered a high-risk group for problems related to substance use disorder. With this assumption, the support for students struggling with addiction may be insufficient. We are therefore conducting exploratory research to map the extent of this risky behavior as well as the students’ experiences with preventive activities at Masaryk University (MU) in the Czech Republic. The ongoing study is conducted through a quantitative survey. We draw from questionnaires from previous similar studies at Masaryk University together with standardized ESPAD questionnaire. These materials were adjusted to fit the university environment and current trends in addictive behavior. With the usage of snowball sampling, students from all ten faculties of MU were invited to participate. The final sample consists of 1,214 students mostly from the Faculty of Education. Regular use (a few times a month and more often) was stated most frequently for alcohol (52.1%). Regarding other drugs, the regular use occurred also in nicotine (23.8%), THC (3.8%), kratom (2.1%) and other drugs (each <1%). Conversely, the experience with prevention at university was stated only by 5.6% of students. These preliminary results indicate that the need for preventive activities may largely exceed the prevention that is offered to students. The final results could therefore serve as a next step for creating more effective support system.

Authors:
Hana Moravčíková, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Petr Kachlík, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Karel Červenka, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Věra Vojtová, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Kateřina Richterová, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
Jitka Šťastná, Masaryk University, Czech Republic

About the Presenter(s)
Hana Moravčíková is a PhD candidate at Masaryk University (MU), where she conducts research on substance use and needs among incarcerated individuals. She is also involved in a project mapping substance and behavioral addictions among MU students.

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