Prevalence and Sociodemographic Determinants of Substance Use in Turkey

Substance use disorder is a serious public health problem. It is essential to know who is prone to substance use in order to adopt appropriate measures.

This study aims to determine the use prevalence ratios of substance use (tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, synthetic cannabinoids, ecstasy, and others) in a large-scale sample of a general population. It also intends to examine related sociodemographic factors.

This study is based on a cross-sectional survey conducted with a nationally representative sample of 24,494 individuals in face-to-face interviews conducted by a trained team of 125 clinical psychologists.

Lifetime prevalence of single substance use and polysubstance use are 4.5 and 2.6%, respectively (nicotine and alcohol excluded). Age, gender, education level, and marital status are important sociodemographic determinants for other substance use. Similarly, smoking and alcohol consumption are important determinants for other substance use. The multinomial regression analysis results showed that compared with adults aged 39 years and older, early-emerging adults (aged 18-23 years), late-emerging adults (aged 24-29 years), and young adults (aged 30-39 years) are more likely to turn to single substance use and polysubstance use.

Tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use are serious health concerns in Turkey. Sociodemographic status is an important determinant of several aspects of tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use and, therefore, should be examined thoroughly to be able to develop effective protective and preventive strategies.