Factors Affecting Psychoactive Substances Use Among Bachelor Level Students of Nepalgunj SubMetropolitan City

Psychoactive substance use among Bachelor level students have different risk and protective biological, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and sociocultural factors. This study was conducted with the aim to explore the factors affecting psychoactive substance use among Bachelor level students of Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city.

A qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted among Bachelor level students from different streams of Nepalgunj sub-metropolitan city. Pre-validated Interview Guidelines was used for 13 In-depth Interviews with Bachelor level students from different streams using psychoactive substances and 12 Key Informant Interviews with parents/guardians and teachers of some of the selected students. Deductive thematic analysis based on Domain model was done to explore the risk and protective factors for psychoactive substance use.

The study identified different risk and protective factors affecting psychoactive substance use within each biological, intrapersonal, interpersonal, and sociocultural domain. Major risk factors identified were adolescence and teenage, male sex, curiosity and experimentation, use for fun, to relieve or cope stress/tension, inadequate awareness, peer influence and pressure, use of psychoactive substances in family, availability, advertisements, social acceptance, and lack of strict rules and regulations. Major protective factors identified were adequate awareness, negative perception, self-motivation, lack of free time/leisure, mentality/state of mind, personal responsibilities, guidance from family, negative perception of society, and reputation.

Increasing awareness, developing positive attitudes, reducing social acceptance, and implementation of strict rules and regulations may help minimize and/or eliminate psychoactive substance use by Bachelor level students.