Alcohol, tobacco & illegal drugs in adolescence : a study of Maltese students' perceptions and experiences

This research explored young people's perceptions and experiences of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs' use. The prevalence of substance use among Maltese sixth form students was studied using a self-administered questionnaire. A more detailed understanding of the motivating forces affecting substance use was obtained through complementary in-depth interviews. In an ever increasing prevalence of adolescent recreational substance use, effective policies and prevention initiatives targeting young people need to be better informed. Hence this study aimed to provide information in this respect. The prevalence of alcohol drinking, smoking and use of illegal drugs among the student population under study provided a detailed descriptive account as well as an investigation of the cross-correlation between various forms of legal and illegal drugs. Statistical analysis of these cross-tabulations showed strong associations between consumption of some types of alcoholic drinks, smoking and some forms of illegal drugs. Various forms of substances' use were found to be inter-connected with places of entertainment. This essentially parallel study of alcohol, tobacco and illegal drugs' use underlined how young people evaluated the benefits and costs of substance use, thus shedding light on the functional use these substances served and the inherent disadvantages they had. Disclosures of how substance use was managed revealed how these costs were controlled or minimised. The young people's very own perceptions of the sources of influence leading to substance use were most valuable. The context of place or occasion related to specific substance use were shown to play a major role in young people's behaviour. The nature of information sought by young people regarding substances and the sources of this information also provided an invaluable insight as to how primary prevention initiatives could provide relevant information to an adolescent audience.