[Raves and drug use from an epidemiologic and psychosocial approach: a bibliographic systematic review]

The high drug use that occurs at raves and the specific characteristics of these parties make them a high risk recreational context the health of participants. The aim of this paper is to establish a categorization of research on drug use and raves according to their objectives and main results. Knowledge and research needs identified as a result of this review are discussed. To this end, a systematic review of scientific literature through Medline, Psycinfo and Psicodoc was conducted. After applying the inclusion criteria, 36 papers were obtained, classified into six categories. The results show that 23 studies aim psychosocial profile analysis, and the prevalence and patterns of drug use. Nine studies focus on risks related to drug use, and nine in the drug effects. Given the high risk associated with raves and the scarcity of empirical studies identified, the need to develop further empirical studies is addressed. There is still insufficient evidence to guide intervention strategies to prevent risks and harms among ravers. There is also a need to explore: polydrug use, harm reduction strategies, positive effects and motivations.