Avaliação de traços de personalidade como preditores do uso precoce de álcool e outras substâncias em escolares de Niterói

In Brazil,about5%ofstudents begins drugs usebefore10 yearsofage and42.8% between 16-18 reports that they have tried some substance. The Central Nervous System is not yet fully developed in adolescence and the use of substances in this moment can lead to dangerous consequences. This study aimed to determine correlations between the Substance Use Risk Profile (SURPS), the use of drugs and other risk behaviors in adolescents of public schools in Niteroi / RJ. This is a longitudinal study with 12 months follow-up and its outcomes include alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use, as well as involvement in risk situations. These data show a positive relationship between alcohol experimentation and the scales of Sensation Seeking,Hopelessness, and Impulsivity and also with the total score for the SURPS; between the Hopelessness scale and tobacco experimentation; the Sensation Seeking scale and the experimentation of marijuana; and between Sensation Seeking and Impulsivity and the number of risk behaviors assumed in the last month. Additionally, this data support that SURPS accurately predict the onset of alcohol use until the next 12 months. This is compatible with the findings of large prospective studies conducted in adolescents in other cultures and endorsed the existence of a relationship between the SURPS scores and the beginning of substance use, specifically alcohol, tobacco and marijuana, in adolescence. Additionally, this study points to a relationship between these scales and the number of risk behaviors assumed in the last month.