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Flunitrazepam: more than a date rape drug
V I Rickert1, C M Wiemann, A B Berenson
1Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Galveston, TX, USA. vaughn_rickert@smtplink.mssm.edu
Study Objective:
To evaluate the independent relationship between depressive symptoms. self-esteem. and drug resistance self-efficacy, and future intentions to use flunitrazepam.
Design:
Cross-sectional survey.
Setting:
Community-based family planning clinics.
Participants:
865 sexually active women who self-identified as Caucasian. African-American. or Mexican American. denied using flunitrazepam in the last 12 months and reported intentions to use or not use this substance in the next 12 months.
Interventions:
None.
Main Outcome Measure:
An anonymous self-report measure assessed the patient's intentions to use flunitrazepam in the next 12 months: other lifetime drug use: and standardized measures of depression. self-esteem, and drug resistance self-efficacy. We hypothesized that future potential users of flunitrazepam would exhibit an increased number of depressive symptoms, lowered self-esteem, and limited drug resistance self-efficacy.
Results:
Of the 865 subjects. 16 (1.8%) reported using flunitrazepam in their lifetime but not in the last 12 months. and 46 (5.3%) were identified as potential users. Logistic regression analyses controlling for confounding factors found that potential to use flunitrazepam was significantly associated with limited drug resistance self-efficacy (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 9.3) and the presence of both severe depressive symptoms and lowered self-esteem (AOR = 3.2).
Conclusions:
These data suggest that young women with severe depressive symptoms and diminished self-esteem are at high risk for future flunitrazepam use and may use this drug to self-medicate psychological distress.