[Self-esteem level and correlation to risk behaviour of students at the University of Almería (Spain)]

To evaluate self-esteem levels in college students at the University of Almería (Spain) and their possible correlation with risk behaviors, specifically, drug use and sexual behavior.

We performed an observational, descriptive, cross-sectional, prolective study. A self-completed questionnaire was used to gather data. Students attending specific university services of the University of Almería were selected by non-probabilistic sampling. Self-esteem was measured using Cooersmith's scale.

In the 123 students studied, self-esteem was very low in 7.9%, medium-low in 29.3%, medium in 12.2 %, medium-high in 46.3% and very high in 4.9 %. No significant differences were found between the sexes. No significant correlation was found between sexual behavior and level of self-esteem. Consumption of alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, designer drugs, and amphetamines was higher in groups with higher self-esteem.

Self-esteem is important in every sphere of life and can be considered a basic human need. Self-esteem increases the level of personal security and has been described as a protective factor against risk behaviors. However, our data indicate increased drug consumption among young people with higher self-esteem. Given the importance of the topic and the novelty of our results, in future studies we intend to broaden the sample and perform probabilistic stratified sampling in order to extrapolate the results to the entire population of the University of Almería.