Associated factors to non-medical and medical use of psychoactive medication among Mexican adolescents and adults in a national household survey

Abstract

Background: Non-medical use of psychoactive medication is a public health problem. Studies in other contexts indicate that individual sociodemographic characteristics are associated with non-medical use, but these associations have not been assessed in the Mexican context.

Objectives: To estimate the prevalence non-medical and medical use of psychoactive medication among Mexican adolescents and adults' medication users and to estimate the associations between sociodemographic characteristics and non-medical use of psychoactive medication, using data from a nationally representative sample.

Methods: Secondary analysis of data collected from the National Survey of Drug, Alcohol, and Tobacco Consumption (ENCODAT) 2016 to 2017. The analytical sample included people aged 12 to 65 years. The sample was stratified into two age categories: adolescents (12-17 years) and adults (18-65 years). Sub-analyses were performed to describe prevalence of use and non-medical use of psychoactive medication at the state-level. Descriptive statistics and multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate associations between sociodemographic characteristics and medical, non-medical, and non-use of psychoactive medication in adolescents and adults.

Results: Among Mexican medication users in 2016, the national prevalence of non-medical use of psychoactive drugs was 19.6%; 22.2% among adolescents and 19.4% among adults. States adjacent to the US-Mexico border reported the highest levels of non-medical use of psychoactive medication. Illicit drug consumption was associated with non-medical use. Sociodemographic characteristics associated with non-medical use varied between adolescents and adults.

Conclusions: There is a high proportion of non-medical use of psychoactive drugs among Mexican medication users, especially among young people. Understanding factors associated with the misuse of psychoactive medications in Mexico can inform policy for prevention and treatment.