Bienestar subjetivo y consumo de drogas en adolescentes veracruzanos en el contexto de la pandemia por COVID-19

• Published in: Acta colombiana de psicología 2024, Vol.27 (2), p.91-110
• Main Authors: Arellanez Hernández, Jorge Luis, Cortés Flores, Erika, Beltrán Guerra, León Felipe
• Format: Article
• Language: Spanish
• Subjects: adolescentes; adolescents; being; bienestar subjetivo; condiciones de vida; consumo de drogas ilícitas; COVID; drug use; living conditions; subjective well
• ISSN: 0123-9155; 1909-9711

The COVID-19 pandemic brought about various changes in lifestyle dynamics and mental health for the general population, particularly among adolescents, whose levels of well-being were altered, placing them in vulnerable conditions. Based on this, the objective was to compare living conditions and the perception of subjective well-be-ing in two groups of high school students: drug users (those who have used a psychoactive substance at least once in their lifetime) and non-users (abstainers). Using a non-experimental, cross-sectional, ex post facto design, a questionnaire was administered to 394 students from the state of Veracruz, Mexico (58.1% female, 39.1% male, 2.8% other gender [non-binary]), aged between 14 and 17 years (M = 15.2, SD = 0.59). The instrument included the Subjective Well-Being and Living Conditions Scale, as well as a block of items exploring the use of psychoactive substances (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamines). The results showed that 10.7% ac-knowledged having used a drug, and this group recorded significantly lower average scores in the dimensions of subjective well-being: lower happiness and life satisfaction (p < .01), lower educational, economic, and emotional well-being (p < .05), lower satisfaction with life domains (p < .01), and lower satisfaction with public goods and services (p < .05). These findings underscore the need to develop intervention strategies for adolescents, as they may be in more vulnerable conditions. La pandemia por COVID-19 trajo consigo diversos cambios en la dinámica de vida y la salud mental de la población en general, y en especial de los adolescentes, cuyos niveles de bienestar se vieron modificados, ubicándolos en condiciones de vulnerabilidad. Con base en esta idea, se planteó como objetivo comparar las condiciones de vida y la percepción del bienestar subjetivo en dos grupos de estudiantes de bachillerato: usuarios de drogas (consumo de alguna sustancia psicoactiva al menos una vez en la vida) y no usuarios (abstemios). Con un diseño metodológico no experimental, transversal y ex post facto, se aplicó un cuestionario a 394 estudiantes del estado de Veracruz, México (58.1 % femenino, 39.1 % masculino, 2.8 % otro género [no binario]), de edades entre los 14 y los 17 años (M = 15.2, DE = 0.59). El instrumento incluyó la Escala de bienestar subjetivo y condiciones de vida, así como un bloque de reactivos que exploraron el consumo de sustancias psicoactivas (alcohol, tabaco, ma