How Dangerous? Substance Use Risk Perceptions in Chilean Preadolescents.

Early substance use initiation among children represents a significant risk to public health. Research suggests that early positive perceptions and cognitions of elementary students toward substance use may predict later use during adolescence. Studies among adolescent populations have shown an inverse relationship between substance use and risk perceptions. To gain insight into alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana risk perceptions prior to adolescence, we analyzed data from the Chilean Early Childhood Longitudinal Survey (ELPI). In a sample of 5,278 families (mean age of preadolescents 10.63 years, SD = .64; 50.5% males), our findings showed that an important proportion of Chilean 10 years old did not perceive occasional tobacco, alcohol, or marijuana use to be high-risk activities. However, the majority of respondents did consider daily substance use to be a high-risk activity, with some variation across substances. Overall, older preadolescents were more likely to consider substance use to be less risky compared to their slightly younger counterparts. Our analysis also demonstrated that past month substances use by caregivers were all found to be predictive of low-medium risk perceptions among preadolescents surveyed, while conversely, caregivers' negative reactions to finding out their child had used a substance decreased the likelihood of holding low-medium risk perceptions. Individuals from single-parent households were less likely to consider substance use as being high-risk compared to their peers. Preadolescents with caregivers reporting higher average incomes were also more likely to hold lower risk perceptions of occasional substance use. Implications for public policies to prevent substance use in the pre-adolescent population are discussed.

Gender differences in the perception of leptospirosis severity, behaviours, and Leptospira exposure risk in urban Brazil: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Vulnerability to climate hazards and infectious diseases are not gender-neutral, meaning that men, women, boys, girls, and other gender identities experience different health risks. Leptospirosis, a zoonotic climate sensitive infectious disease, is commonly transmitted to humans via contact with animals and the environment, particularly soil and flood water. Gender differences in leptospiral infection risk are reported globally, with men consistently found to be at higher risk than women. However, the drivers of this difference in risk are poorly understood. Previous studies suggest that the interplay of knowledge, perceptions, and behaviours may shape differential infection risk among genders. Methodology/Principal Findings: To examine gender differences in Leptospira exposure risk we conducted a cross-sectional serosurvey among adult participants (n = 761) in four urban, marginalised, informal settlements in the city of Salvador, Brazil. We found that seroprevalence was 14.6% and 9.4% across men and women respectively. We then applied causal inference methodology to a two-part sex-disaggregated analysis to investigate: 1) the association of perceptions and behaviours with Leptospira seropositivity and 2) the association of perceptions with behaviours. We found that men who perceived leptospirosis as extremely serious had lower odds of seropositivity, walking through sewage water, or walking barefoot, suggesting an important link between perceptions, behaviours, and exposure risk. These associations were not found in women, and these behaviours were not associated with seropositivity in men or women. Conclusions: Our results highlight perceived severity of disease as a potential driver of behaviour in men, and perceptions of disease may be an important target for health education programs. Furthermore, our study identifies evidence gaps in the understanding of infection risks in women. As the first sex-disaggregated study investigating Leptospira infection risks, we advocate for a gendered lens in future studies to further understand risks specific to different gender identities.

Prevalencia de enfermedades y síntomas respiratorios en colonias anfitrionas de mineras pétreas en San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México / Prevalence of respiratory diseases and symptoms, in colonies hosting stone miners, in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico

Resumen Introducción: el estudio estimó la tasa de prevalencia de enfermedades y síntomas respiratorios agudos (ESRA) y sus factores de riesgo (FR). Se llevó a cabo en tres colonias anfitrionas: Salsipuedes (200 viviendas), San Miguel (35) y Ampliación San Miguel (9) de la región sureste de la Ciudad de San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, donde se ubica la minera pétrea de arena y grava para construcción de carreteras y viviendas, desde hace 35 años. Metodología: se realizó un estudio transversal epidemiológico; se inició con un censo de población y 156 hogares (el 63.9 % del total) aceptaron participar en la encuesta, así, se aplicó un cuestionario estructurado con preguntas cerradas y abiertas a un mayor de edad de cada familia. Por un lado, las preguntas cerradas se orientaron a identificar los signos y los síntomas de enfermedades incidentes y prevalentes; por otro lado, se hicieron seis preguntas abiertas cualitativas relacionadas con cómo se considera la actividad del banco de arena existente en cada barrio, a fin de conocer las percepciones del riesgo social, ambiental y de salud, y su posible asociación con habitar en colonias limítrofes con la minera. Resultados: la tasa de prevalencia de ESRA en Salsipuedes fue del 5.6 %, en San Miguel del 12.0 % y en Ampliación San Miguel del 21.9 % (TP total=7.6 %) (p ≤ 0.05). Se exploraron nueve variables socioeconómicas, de ellas, cinco (pared de madera de la vivienda, proximidad de la colonia, proximidad de la carretera internacional, tenencia del hogar y percepción de salud) se asociaron estadísticamente con la actividad minera pétrea con un valor de significancia estadística de p ≤ 0.05. Conclusiones: las actividades de minería repercuten en las ESRA y se vinculan a la proximidad y las condiciones de la vivienda, asimismo, influyen en las percepciones negativas de la salud y el ambiente.

Abstract Introduction: The study estimated the prevalence rate of Acute Respiratory Diseases and Symptoms (ESRA) and its risk factors (RF), it was carried out in three host neighborhoods: Salsipuedes (200 households), San Miguel (35) and Ampliación San Miguel (9) from the southeast region of the city of San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico, where the Salsipuedes stone mining company of sand and gravel for construction of roads and houses is located, for 35 years of extraction. Methodology: A cross-sectional epidemiological study was carried out, it began with a population census, where the survey was accepted in 156 (63.9 % of the total) and a structured questionnaire with closed and open questions was applied to an adult of each family. The questions were oriented to identify the signs and symptoms of incident and prevalent diseases (closed questions), on the other hand, six open qualitative questions related to how do you consider the activity of the sandbank that exists in your neighborhood?, to identify the perceptions of the risk for social, environmental and health damages, and whether or not they associated them with living in those neighboring host neighborhoods of the mining company. Results: The prevalence rate of ESRA in Salsipuedes was 5.6%, San Miguel 12.0% and Ampliación San Miguel 21.9% (total TP=7.6%) (p ≤ 0.05); Nine socioeconomic variables were explored, of which five (wooden wall of the house, proximity to the neighborhood, proximity to the international highway, home ownership and health perception) were statistically associated with stone mining activity with a significance value statistic of (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusion: Mining activities had an impact on ESRA associated with the proximity and conditions of housing and also influenced negative perceptions of health and the environment.

Smoking Behaviors, Mental Health, and Risk Perceptions during the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic among Mexican Adult Smokers.

Mexico is one of the countries most affected by COVID-19. Studies have found that smoking behaviors have been impacted by the pandemic as well; however, results have varied across studies, and it remains unclear what is causing the changes. This study of an open cohort of smokers recruited from a consumer panel (n = 2753) examined changes in cigarettes per day (CPD), daily vs. non-daily smoking, recent quit attempts, perceived stress, depression, and perceived severity of COVID-19 at two points during the pandemic: March and July 2020. Differences in CPD between waves were estimated with Poisson regression using generalized estimating equations (GEE). Differences in perceived stress were estimated with linear regression using GEE, and differences in recent quit attempts, depression, and perceived severity of COVID-19 were estimated using separate logistic regression GEE models. Rates of depression were higher in July compared to March (AOR = 1.55, 95% C.I. 1.31-1.85), and the likelihood of recent quit attempt was lower in July compared to March (AOR = 0.85, 95% C.I. 0.75-0.98). There was no statistically significant change in CPD, daily smoking, or perceived stress. Perceived COVID-19 severity for oneself increased significantly (AOR: 1.24, 95% C.I. 1.02-1.52); however, the perceived COVID-19 severity for smokers remained constant. Our study suggests that as the COVID-19 pandemic expanded in Mexico, smoking frequency remained stable, and quit attempts decreased, even as adult smokers increasingly perceived infection with COVID-19 for themselves as severe. These results can aid in the development of health communication strategies to educate smokers about their risk for COVID-19, potentially capitalizing on concerns that stem from this syndemic of communicable and smoking-related non-communicable disease.

COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study of Healthcare Students' Perceptions of Life during the Pandemic in the United States and Brazil.

Societal influences, such as beliefs and behaviors, and their increasing complexity add to the challenges of interactivity promoted by globalization. This study was developed during a virtual global educational exchange experience and designed for research and educational purposes to assess personal social and cultural risk factors for students' COVID-19 personal prevention behavior and perceptions about life during the pandemic, and to inform future educational efforts in intercultural learning for healthcare students. We designed and implemented a cross-sectional anonymous online survey intended to assess social and cultural risk factors for COVID-19 personal prevention behavior and students' perceptions about life during the pandemic in public health and healthcare students in two public universities (United States n = 53; Brazil n = 55). Statistically significant differences existed between the United States and Brazil students in degree type, employment, risk behavior, personal prevention procedures, sanitization perceptions, and views of governmental policies. Cultural and social differences, risk messaging, and lifestyle factors may contribute to disparities in perceptions and behaviors of students around the novel infectious disease, with implications for future global infectious disease control.

Pennsylvania Workplace Safety: Employee Perceptions of Active Shooter Preparedness.

This study investigated the role of workplace preparedness actions in employee perceptions of workplace risk, workplace preparedness, and personal self-efficacy in an active shooter event. Data were drawn from an online, state representative survey of 668 Pennsylvania residents in 2019. Nearly 40% of employees reported their workplaces had not taken any preparedness actions. Having a workplace take a greater number of preparedness actions was associated with increased self-efficacy and increased perceptions of workplace preparedness, but also an increase in perceived risk. Males and gun owners perceived lower levels of workplace risk and reported substantially higher self-efficacy. However, associations between workplace efforts and self-efficacy differed from those for perceived workplace preparedness. Associations with firearm policy and the presence of security staff also differed for the two outcomes.

Climate Change as an Involuntary Exposure: A Comparative Risk Perception Study from Six Countries across the Global Development Gradient.

Climate change has been referred to as an involuntary exposure, meaning people do not voluntarily put themselves at risk for climate-related ill health or reduced standard of living. The purpose of this study is to examine people's risk perceptions and related beliefs regarding (1) the likelihood of different risks occurring at different times and places and (2) collective (government) responsibility and personal efficacy in dealing with climate change, as well as (3) explore the ways in which climate risk may be amplified when posed against individual health and well-being. Previous research on this topic has largely focused on one community or one nation state, and so a unique characteristic of this study is the comparison between six different city (country) sites by their development and national wealth. Here, we collected 401 surveys from Phoenix (USA), Brisbane (Australia), Wellington (New Zealand), Shanghai (China), Viti Levu (Fiji), and Mexico City (Mexico). Results suggest that the hyperopia effect characterized the sample from each study site but was more pronounced in developed sites, suggesting that the more developed sites employ a broader perspective when approaching ways to mitigate their risk against climate-related health and well-being impacts.

Flavored ENDS Use among Adults Who Have Used Cigarettes and ENDS, 2016-2017.

OBJECTIVE: In this study, we assessed differences in type, number, and perceptions of ENDS flavors used at initiation and currently among 4 smoking and ENDS use profiles of US adults with a history of smoking and ENDS use. METHODS: Our nationally representative survey sample included 1814 participants. We estimated Rao-Scott χ2 and adjusted odds ratios. Use profiles included: (1) Dual Users (current smokers/current ENDS users), (2) ENDS Rejecters (current smokers/former ENDS users), (3) Switchers (former smokers/current ENDS users), and (4) Quitters (former smokers/former ENDS users). RESULTS: Multiple flavor use at initiation was associated with higher odds of being a Dual User or Switcher. Those who used mint/wintergreen/menthol flavored ENDS at initiation had lower odds of being an ENDS Rejecter (vs Dual User). Current use of tobacco/unflavored or menthol/mint/wintergreen flavor was associated with higher odds of being a Dual User (vs Switcher). Switchers were more likely to perceive flavors as safe in ENDS and rate flavors as important to their ENDS use. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple flavor use at initiation, perceiving flavors as safe, and use of specific flavors (mint/wintergreen/menthol) at initiation may discourage rejecting ENDS. However, current use of traditional cigarette flavors (ie, tobacco, menthol) may promote sustained smoking.

Identifying the social and environmental determinants of plague endemicity in Peru: insights from a case study in Ascope, La Libertad.

BACKGROUND: Plague remains a public health problem in specific areas located in Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador and Peru. Its prevention and control encompasses adequate clinical management and timely laboratory diagnosis. However, understanding communities' interaction with its surrounding ecosystem as well as the differences between community members and institutional stakeholders regarding the root causes of plague might contribute to understand its endemicity. We aim at bridging the traditionally separate biological and social sciences by elucidating communities' risk perception and identifying knowledge gaps between communities and stakeholders. This approach has been used in other areas but never in understanding plague endemicity, nor applied in the Latin American plague context. The objectives were to identify (i) plague risk perception at community level, (ii) perceived social and environmental determinants of plague endemicity, and (iii) institutions that need to be involved and actions needed to be taken as proposed by stakeholders and community members. The study was performed in 2015 and took place in Ascope rural province, La Libertad Region, in Peru, where the study areas are surrounded by intensive private sugarcane production. METHODS: We propose using a multi-level discourse analysis. Community households were randomly selected (n = 68). Structured and semi-structured questionnaires were applied. A stakeholder analysis was used to identify policy makers (n = 34). In-depth interviews were performed, recorded and transcribed. Descriptive variables were analyzed with SPSS®. Answers were coded following variables adapted from the Commission on Social Determinants of Health and analyzed with the assistance of ATLAS.ti®. RESULTS: Results showed that risk perception was low within the community. Policy-makers identified agriculture and sugarcane production as the root cause while community answers ranked the hygiene situation as the main cause. Stakeholders first ranked governmental sectors (education, housing, agriculture and transport) and the community prioritized the health sector. Social surveillance and improving prevention and control were first cited by policy-makers and community members, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The determinants of plague endemicity identified by the two groups differed. Similarly, actions and sectors needed to be involved in solving the problem varied. The gaps in understanding plague root causes between these two groups might hinder the efficiency of current plague prevention and control strategies.

Percepción de Riesgo y Clima de Seguridad en Operadores de Transporte en Mérida, Yucatán / Risk Perception and Safety Climate in Drivers of Public Transport at Mérida, Yucatán

Resumen: Las organizaciones deben proporcionar un clima de seguridad, esto se refiere a las percepciones compartidas sobre políticas, procedimientos y prácticas de seguridad de la organización. El objetivo de este estudio es proporcionar una visión cuantitativa sobre la percepción de los factores de riesgo que poseen los operadores de transporte público con relación al clima de seguridad. El transporte como movilidad humana es un aspecto esencial para la sociedad, es necesario un sistema de transporte seguro que concuerde con los lineamientos que piden las leyes. En este estudio participaron 54 Operadores transporte de sexo masculino de la ciudad de Mérida, Yucatán, a los cuales se le aplicaron dos instrumentos, "Percepción de Riesgo" (Aguilar, 2013) y "Clima de Seguridad" (Meliá, 1999), las edades fluctuaban entre los 26 a 66 años. Se realizó la prueba estadística de la correlación de Pearson. Con los resultados obtenidos se puede observar que no existen diferencias estadísticamente significativas entre el clima de seguridad y la percepción de riesgo. Sin embargo, se pudo encontrar otras variables que son relevantes al evaluar la percepción riesgo, en este estudio se encontró que a mayor antigüedad, existe una mayor percepción de riesgo por parte de los operadores de trasporte público.

Abstract: The organizations must provide a safety climate, this refers to the perceptions shared on politics, procedures and safety practices of the organization. The target of this study is to provide a quantitative vision on the perception of the factors of risk that the public transport operators possess in relation to the safety climate. This study was realized in the field of public transport, which refers to "an integral system of means of transport of widespread use, capable of giving solution to the needs for displacements of the persons". The transport as human mobility is an essential aspect for the society, for this there is needed a system of healthy and sure transport that agrees with the lineaments that ask for the laws. 54 Operators informed transport of masculine sex of the city of Merida, Yucatan, to which there him were applied two instruments, "Perception of Risk" (Aguilar, 2013) and "safety Climate" (Meliá, 1999), the ages were fluctuating between the 26 to 66 years. There was realized the statistical test of the interrelation of Pearson because this one claims to know the association and relation between two variables, in addition to knowing the index of reliability and validity of the measuring devices used in the investigation. With the obtained results it is possible to observe that differences do not exist as per statistics significant between the safety climate and the perception of risk. Nevertheless, it was possible to find other variables that are excellent on having evaluated the perception I water, in this study one found that at major age, the major one exists in the risk perception on the part of the operators of transport public. It is necessary to emphasize that a limitation was the number of participants, for it, a suggestion for future investigations, it is to increase the number of participants, because it would be a more representative sample on this problems.

Efectos diferenciales sobre las actitudes ante la experimentación con alcohol y la percepción de riesgo en adolescentes españoles consumidores de cannabis y alcohol / Differential effects on attitudes regarding alcohol experimentation and risk perception among Spanish adolescents consumers of cannabis and alcohol

Introduction This research offers a comprehensive analysis of the distinctive status of Alcohol in two types of young consumers (alcohol and alcohol/ cannabis), which is internalised by the consumers themselves, creating a distortion in their risk perceptions inherent to experimentation. In this sense, the focus of this study is on the change experienced in the attitude sphere in a threefold dimension: cognitive factors (beliefs, expectations, perceptions, etc.), affective factors (identification with the user, liking or disliking, etc.), and behavioural factors (inclination to accept the habit); as well as risk perception and the conscience of the physical and/or psychosocial damage derived from alcohol experimentation and the motivations that lead to its consumption in a sample of adolescents from four High Schools in the Principality of Asturias (Spain). We link such attitude profiles to the social representation of recreational drugs associated with socio-cognitive restructurating processes promoted by the corresponding user mentalities. In addition, there is evidence of the influence of the sociocultural context on the distinctive status of the psychoactive substances analysed, in this case alcohol and those derived from cannabis. Contrary to the high permissiveness towards alcohol, other psychoactive substances, such as cannabis products, are socially demonised, as they have been considered a gateway for the use of other drugs coming from a tradition far from the western one. However, there appear to be more permissive consciences lately. In relation to young people, attitudes of guilt are being made more flexible, a tendency that can be extended to the distortion of risk perception in alcohol consumption among the users of cannabis products themselves. Strictly, we should consider the distinctive perceptions of the risks associated with experimentation and the attitude patterns that identify them. We must also consider cannabis products and whether or not they are being compared to alcohol as a social drug, or if, on the contrary, the rejection conscience of such practices is being reinforced. Materials and method A distinctive and descriptive analysis of users of alcohol and cannabis products with respect to non-users is presented. This analysis encompasses the attitude sphere, risk perception and the knowledge of the negative consequences derived from the use of alcohol and other experimentation with psychoactive substances in a sample of 273 adolescents, chosen from four High Schools in the Principality of Asturias (Spain) by means of an intentional sampling. They have different academic levels and are within the ages of 14 to 18, the average age being 16.5. 140 of them are girls (51.3% of the sample) and 133 boys (48.7% remaining). The main variables studied are those related to attitudes towards adolescents' use of alcohol alone and those who habitually use it with cannabis products. The main study variables are represented by the attitude sphere, risk perception, the problematic of alcohol consumption, and the knowledge of the negative consequences derived from alcohol consumption and from other experimentations with cannabis and other psychoactive substances. A questionnaire, created ad hoc, has been provided by the researchers, which, under the label of Scale of attitudes and habits of alcohol consumption, includes an analysis of different related elements in the aetiological proposal. The value of Alpha in 273 valid cases and 142 items is .9171. With regard to the research procedure, an anonymous presentation of the Scale to the aforementioned group of students over a two-week time period has been prepared. For the statistical treatment of the data, a statistics package SPSS, version 14.0 has been used. Results According to the results obtained, it is confirmed that adolescent alcohol consumers, on one hand, and those who consume alcohol and cannabis products, on the other, show attitudes of great permissiveness towards consumption, distorted beliefs and expectations, socio-affective alienation and scarce sensitising with respect to those affected by the problematic of it, and a favourable disposition to consumption and even an alcoholic habituation. Firstly, a comparative analysis of response percentages has been done, before indicators through which different aspects of the cognitive, affective and behavioural dimensions of the attitude towards alcohol consumption are evaluated, along with the distortion of risk perception and basic information about the consequences derived from consumption experiences, in either adolescents who are users of alcohol, or those who, apart from alcohol, are habitual users of cannabis products. From the descriptive analysis some conclusions can be drawn such as: • Obvious permissive disposition towards the process of alcoholic habituation in adolescent users of alcohol, mainly extensible to users of both alcohol and cannabis products. • From the evaluation of the cognitive dimension of the attitudes, explicit disposition is confirmed, in the sense of displaying a distortion of these attitudes. This can be attributed to, as it has been pointed out in the theoretical exposition, the possible action of the user mentality. • In the evaluation of attitude aspects, a dominant tendency to display a scarce identification and sensitising disposition with respect to those who give up drinking or are abstemious and even to openly show rejection to congratulating somebody that has given up drinking. • Lastly, the finding of coincidences between adolescent alcohol users and those who also use cannabis products in the determination of the main motivations that drive their alcohol consumption. The tendency of a more permissive attitude towards alcohol consumption in adolescents is confirmed along with a distorted perception of the risks derived from questions related to organic damage associated with experimentation. In the evaluation of the alcoholism problematic in our society, we also have found the confirmation of a mentality associated with experimentation that leads to a distortion of the damages derived from experimentation. Therefore, with respect to the distinctive analysis of the main motivations that drive alcohol consumption, a tendency of evasion of routine is confirmed. Peer pressure by consumer friends, disposition to lose one's inhibitions, meeting people, and experiencing euphoria are the main reasons that drive experimentation in adolescents who consume alcohol and, also, in those users of both alcohol and cannabis products. A tendency to recognise the scarce negative consequences suffered is derived from the analysis of the degree of perceived problems stemming from experimentation with different psychoactive substances, as well as the risk perception and negative consequences derived from their experiences of alcohol consumption and from the main explicit reasons for not drinking. According to an analysis procedure similar to the aforementioned, the importance of the differences found between consumers and non-consumers either of alcohol or both alcohol and cannabis products could be determined, confirming recognition of worse consequences perceived on physical and psychosocial health derived from experimentation, even though it cannot benefit a real consciousness, as has been confirmed through the previous attitude analysis.

Objetivo Nuestro objeto de estudio es el análisis de las actitudes hacia la experimentación con sustancias psicoactivas (alcohol y cannabis) de acuerdo a una triple dimensionalidad: factores cognitivos (creencias, expectativas, percepciones, etc.), afectivos (identificación con los usuarios, agrado o desagrado, etc.) y comportamentales (inclinación para la aceptación del hábito). Así como la percepción de riesgos y la conciencia de daño físico y/o psicosocial derivado de la experimentación con alcohol. Además de analizar los motivadores del consumo en una muestra de adolescentes de cuatro Centros de Secundaria del Principado de Asturias, España. Se ofrece un análisis comprehensivo del estatuto diferencial que el alcohol tiene entre dos perfiles de jóvenes consumidores (alcohol y alcohol/cannabis) que es interiorizado por los propios consumidores afectando a una distorsión de sus percepciones de riesgo inherentes a la experimentación. Vinculamos semejantes perfiles actitudinales a procesos de reestructuración sociocognitiva y de carácter motivacional impulsados por las correspondientes mentalidades del usuario. Asimismo, se evidencia la influencia del contexto sociocultural sobre el estatuto diferencial de las sustancias psicoactivas objeto de análisis, en este caso alcohol y derivados cannábicos. Material y métodos Se realizó un muestreo intencional de un colectivo de 273 adolescentes escolarizados de diferentes niveles académicos de edades que oscilan entre los 14 y 18 años que cursan estudios en cuatro Centros de Enseñanza Secundaria del Principado de Asturias, España. Las principales variables investigadas son las relativas a las actitudes ante el consumo de alcohol por parte de adolescentes experimentadores de tal sustancia y de aquellos que usan regularmente junto al alcohol los derivados cannábicos. La esfera actitudinal ha representado la principal área explorada bajo una triple dimensionalidad: factores cognitivos (creencias, expectativas, percepciones, etc.), afectivos (identificación con los usuarios, agrado o desagrado, etc.) y comportamentales (disposición para el consumo e inclinación para la aceptación del hábito). Asimismo, se ha investigado acerca de las motivaciones que impulsan al consumo y las razones explicitadas para beber y no beber, así como sobre aquellas que pueden mediatizar semejantes usos. Junto al plano actitudinal, la percepción del grado de riesgo y problematicidad inherente al consumo de alcohol, así como el conocimiento acerca de las consecuencias negativas derivadas del consumo de alcohol y de las experimentaciones con cannabis y otras sustancias psicoactivas representan las principales variables investigadas. Resultados Se confirma que tanto los adolescentes consumidores de alcohol, por un lado, como los de alcohol y derivados cannábicos, por otro, muestran unas actitudes de gran permisividad ante el consumo, creencias y falsas expectativas, desapego socioafectivo y escasa sensibilidad respecto a quienes se hayan afectados por la problemática, así como una disposición favorable al consumo e incluso a la habituación alcohólica. Del análisis del grado de problematicidad percibida, derivada de la experimentación con diversas sustancias psicoactivas, así como de la percepción de riesgos y consecuencias negativas que se han derivado de sus experiencias de consumo de alcohol, se deriva una tendencia a reconocer las escasas consecuencias negativas sufridas. A partir del análisis diferencial de los factores de percepción de riesgo y de las razones que podrían aducirse para no-beber se ha confirmado que los adolescentes que experimentan con alcohol y derivados cannábicos manifiestan en su conjunto una menor percepción de los riesgos asociados a la experimentación contrastando con la mayor concientización del potencial daño alcohólico de quienes no son usuarios. A partir del análisis de las actitudes globales ante el alcohol se confirma que los consumidores de otras sustancias psicoactivas -en relación con los adolescentes que beben pero no experimentan con otras drogas- son más permisivos, manifiestan unas creencias más distorsionadas y una mayor disposición hacia la habituación alcohólica.