Exploring the Predictors of Substance Use and Psychological Distress in Adolescents from Slum Areas of Dibrugarh, Assam, India
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Munpi Mayurakshi Mahanta1, Varalakshmi Chandra Sekaran1, Amrtavarshini Radhakrishna2
1Department of Global Public Health Policy and Governance, Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, Karnataka, India.
Objective:
This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of substance use and psychological distress amongst adolescents living in the slum areas of Dibrugarh, Assam.
Materials And Methods:
A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 276 adolescents aged 12-19 years from randomly chosen four slums of Dibrugarh of India. This study has utilised two standard questionnaires: the World Health Organization's Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (WHO ASSIST V3.0) for assessing substance use and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for adolescent psychological distress.
Results:
The prevalence of substance use was found to be 35.8% and 23.9% of participants reported abnormal total difficulty scores. The key determinants included age, gender and family type.
Conclusions:
The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted interventions addressing both substance use and mental health issues in this vulnerable population.
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