Uso de psicofármacos e estilo de vida em estudantes da graduação: uma relação íntima ou distante?

Abstract

Objective: To investigate the relationship between lifestyle (sleep, physical activity, and daily habits) and the use of psychotropic drugs in undergraduate students. Methods: This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, and analytical study conducted between March and December 2024. The target population of this study consisted of students enrolled in undergraduate programs at public or private higher education institutions in the municipality of Passo Fundo/RS. Individuals of both sexes, aged 18 years or older, were included. Data was collected through an electronic questionnaire made available through social media, including questions about sociodemographic characteristics, lifestyle, and psychotropic drug use. Descriptive statistics of the prevalence of psychotropic drug use and Pearson's chi-square test were performed to analyze the dependent variables (sex, age group, course, educational institution, sleep, physical activity, use of illicit drugs and stimulants) and the independent variable (use of psychotropic drugs). Results: The sample consisted of 202 individuals, predominantly female students (69.7%), aged between 18 and 24 years (80.3%), enrolled in the Medicine course (52.0%), from the first to the fourth semester (47.0%), in a private institution (53.5%). Finally, we demonstrated that approximately 30% of students use psychotropic drugs, however, the bivariate analysis showed only a positive association between the diagnosis of psychiatric disease (p<0.001) and the use of psychotropic drugs. Conclusion: A prevalence of psychotropic drug use of approximately 30% was found. Additionally, most students who use any psychotropic drug are young women studying Medicine at private educational institutions. Further studies are needed to better elucidate the relationship between the use of psychotropic drugs by students and their choice of lifestyle habits, in view of the fact that the bivariate analysis did not show a relevant bivariate analysis between the dependent and independent variables, aiming, thus, to point out support and prevention strategies for the academic community.