Association between negative mood states, psychoactive substances consumption and bullying in school-aged adolescents

OBJECTIVE: mental health problems during adolescence lead to increased morbidity and mortality. We intend to test the hypothesis that bullying and addictive substance use is related to negative mood states.

METHODS: We carried out a cross-sectional study among high school students in Burela (Northern Spain) (n=238). "Negative mood state" was defined as experiencing the following: feeling tired, sad, out of place, bored, hopeless, nervous or lacking sleep. Independent variables were binge drinking, having smoked tobacco or cannabis, and the corresponding perceived risk of using them. The variable bullying was also measured. Poisson regression models with robust variance were estimated, and Prevalence Ratios were obtained.

RESULTS: 10.5% [CI 95% (7.2-15.2)] of the students reported suffering negative mood states. Students declaring low perceived risk of cannabis use [PR = 2.6 (1.2-5.5)], having tried this addictive substance at some point [PR = 3.1 (1.1-8.9)] and having suffered bullying [PR = 4.8 (2.4-9.6)] increased the risk of experiencing negative mood states.

CONCLUSION: It would be advisable to design and implement interventions aimed at improving mental health during adolescence which account for the use of addictive substances and being a victim of bullying.