Psychoactive Substance Use and Its Relationship to Stress, Emotional State, Depressive Symptomatology, and Perceived Threat During the COVID-19 Pandemic in Mexico.

People can increase their use of psychoactive substances in response to stressful situations as a maladaptive mechanism for reducing negative affective states. It is therefore necessary to examine changes in the use of such substances and their relationship to mental health in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Objective: Evaluate the relationship between psychoactive substances and stress, emotional state, and symptomatology during the COVID-19 lockdown in Mexico. Method: A national survey was conducted, using the free Google Forms platform, of residents of Mexico aged 18 and older. The survey was disseminated through social media. Results: The sample comprised 4,122 individuals, mostly women (71.8%), with an age range of 18-81 years (M = 37.08, SD = 12.689), of which 46.8% were single, and 42.9% married. In general, there was a reduction in substance use during the first 2 months of the quarantine; the most commonly used substances were alcohol, tobacco, and tranquilizers. Respondents who described having greater use than before the pandemic presented greater stress, depressive symptomatology, and perceived threat than those who did not use substances. Conclusions: Respondents who did not use substances reported lower levels of stress, depressive symptomatology, impact of the coronavirus pandemic, and perception of its threat. Women reported greater stress, depressive symptomatology, and emotional intensity than men.

Las aportaciones de 40 años de investigación epidemiológica en México sobre consumo de solventes inhalables / Contributions from 40 years of epidemiological research on inhalant use in México

RESUMEN: Antecedentes: El estudio del consumo de solventes inhalables en México se inició en la década de 1970 y a pesar de que por periodos ha disminuido el interés en el mismo, éste no ha desaparecido y debido a que el consumo prevalece entre la población joven, es relevante actualizar el estado del arte en la materia. Objetivo: Identificar el estado del conocimiento sobre los solventes inhalables, las consecuencias, las alternativas de prevención y su tratamiento en las cuatro últimas décadas en México. Método: Se realizó una búsqueda bibliográfica entre agosto y septiembre de 2014, de los artículos publicados entre 1970 y 2014 sobre el consumo de solventes inhalables en México. Se integraron publicaciones incluidas en el archivo histórico de la Dirección de Investigaciones Epidemiológicas y Psicosociales, en la revista SALUD MENTAL, Medline, Elsevier y Scielo México. Resultados: Se identificaron 1083 artículos, 83 cumplieron con todos los criterios para ser incluidos en el análisis. Estos trabajos se realizaron en diferentes poblaciones: grupos marginales, integrantes de bandas juveniles, niños en situación de calle, adultos y menores recluidos en centros de detención, sexoservidoras, personas que acuden a solicitar tratamiento, estudiantes y población general. Discusión y conclusión: Se identificaron diferentes aspectos relevantes de la población consumidora de solventes inhalables en nuestro país, así como acciones pendientes en materia de investigación, con lo que se pueden desarrollar programas de prevención y tratamiento que atiendan las necesidades específicas de estos grupos, ya que son pocos los programas existentes y algunos no han tenido seguimiento o evaluación.

ABSTRACT: Background: The study about the misuse of inhalant solvents started in Mexico during the 1970, although the interest in this subject decreased during some periods, its consumption continued among the young population, thus, it is relevant to update the state of the art on this matter. Objective: Identify the state of knowledge on inhalant abuse, its consequences, prevention and the treatment alternatives in Mexico in the last four decades. Method: We performed a bibliographical inquiry between August and September 2014 on the papers published between 1970 and 2014 about inhalant solvents consumption in Mexico. It integrated the publications included in the historical archive of the Epidemiological and Psycho-social Research Direction, Mental Health Journal, Medline, Elsevier and Scielo México. Results: After revision, 83 out of 1083 papers fulfilled all the criteria that we considered for inclusion in the analysis. This body of work has been performed on different population segments: marginalized groups, juvenile gang members, children in street situation, adults and minors secluded in detention centers, sex workers, people seeking treatment, students, and the general population. Discussion and conclusion: The several relevant aspects of the consumer population of inhalant solvents in Mexico were identified. Detection of this ample profile of individuals at risk could serve as the basis for the development of prevention and treatment programs to attend to the specific needs of these groups, since the programs currently in progress are scarce and some of them have not had follow up assessments or have not been evaluated at all.