Investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use: analysis of a population-based survey in Jamaica
Objectives This study aimed to examine concurrent polysubstance use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana and determine correlations with access to marijuana, friend and familial drug use habits, risk perception and the age of initiation associated with the singular use of these substances.Design A seco...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2023-11-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/11/e076111.full |
| _version_ | 1797428378826964992 |
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| author | Patrice Whitehorne-Smith Wendel Abel Kunal Lalwani Joni-Gaye McLeary Neena Albarus |
| author_facet | Patrice Whitehorne-Smith Wendel Abel Kunal Lalwani Joni-Gaye McLeary Neena Albarus |
| author_sort | Patrice Whitehorne-Smith |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objectives This study aimed to examine concurrent polysubstance use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana and determine correlations with access to marijuana, friend and familial drug use habits, risk perception and the age of initiation associated with the singular use of these substances.Design A secondary data analysis.Setting Used the Jamaica National Drug Prevalence Survey 2016 dataset.Participants Involved the entire dataset comprising 4623 randomly selected respondents between 12 and 65 years old.Outcome measures Primary outcome: concurrent polysubstance use recorded as using two or more of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. Predictor variables include risk perception and age of initiation of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use, ease of marijuana access and family and friend alcohol and illegal drug use.Results Approximately 58%–66% of respondents commenced singular alcohol, tobacco or marijuana use under 17. Participants commencing marijuana use at 11 years and under and between 12 and 17 were 3.346 and 4.560 times more likely to report past month concurrent polysubstance use (p=0.030 and p<0.001). Respondents who did not believe that smoking tobacco sometimes (p=0.049), and smoking marijuana sometimes and often was harmful, had increased odds of concurrent polysubstance use (p=0.047 and p<0.001, respectively). Respondents who indicated access to marijuana as easy were significantly more likely to report past month concurrent polysubstance use compared with those who reported access as difficult (p=0.002). Participants who indicated that friends or family members get drunk and take illegal drugs were associated with 1.722 and 1.864 increased odds of reporting past month concurrent polysubstance use (p=0.004 and p=0.017, respectively).Conclusions Decreased perceived risk, childhood and adolescent age of initiation and easy access to marijuana were significantly associated with polysubstance use among Jamaicans. The influence of friends and family members’ drug and alcohol use behaviours on individuals developing polysubstance use habits further endorses the need for interventions. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:58:02Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-526092d32a1d465ca63998371a0a8914 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T08:58:02Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-526092d32a1d465ca63998371a0a89142023-12-02T12:30:08ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552023-11-01131110.1136/bmjopen-2023-076111Investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use: analysis of a population-based survey in JamaicaPatrice Whitehorne-Smith0Wendel Abel1Kunal Lalwani2Joni-Gaye McLeary3Neena Albarus4School of Public Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, AustraliaDepartment of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Saint Andrew, JamaicaDepartment of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Saint Andrew, JamaicaDepartment of Community Health and Psychiatry, The University of the West Indies, Mona, Saint Andrew, JamaicaSchool of Social Welfare, University of California, Berkeley, California, USAObjectives This study aimed to examine concurrent polysubstance use of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana and determine correlations with access to marijuana, friend and familial drug use habits, risk perception and the age of initiation associated with the singular use of these substances.Design A secondary data analysis.Setting Used the Jamaica National Drug Prevalence Survey 2016 dataset.Participants Involved the entire dataset comprising 4623 randomly selected respondents between 12 and 65 years old.Outcome measures Primary outcome: concurrent polysubstance use recorded as using two or more of alcohol, tobacco and marijuana. Predictor variables include risk perception and age of initiation of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana use, ease of marijuana access and family and friend alcohol and illegal drug use.Results Approximately 58%–66% of respondents commenced singular alcohol, tobacco or marijuana use under 17. Participants commencing marijuana use at 11 years and under and between 12 and 17 were 3.346 and 4.560 times more likely to report past month concurrent polysubstance use (p=0.030 and p<0.001). Respondents who did not believe that smoking tobacco sometimes (p=0.049), and smoking marijuana sometimes and often was harmful, had increased odds of concurrent polysubstance use (p=0.047 and p<0.001, respectively). Respondents who indicated access to marijuana as easy were significantly more likely to report past month concurrent polysubstance use compared with those who reported access as difficult (p=0.002). Participants who indicated that friends or family members get drunk and take illegal drugs were associated with 1.722 and 1.864 increased odds of reporting past month concurrent polysubstance use (p=0.004 and p=0.017, respectively).Conclusions Decreased perceived risk, childhood and adolescent age of initiation and easy access to marijuana were significantly associated with polysubstance use among Jamaicans. The influence of friends and family members’ drug and alcohol use behaviours on individuals developing polysubstance use habits further endorses the need for interventions.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/11/e076111.full |
| spellingShingle | Patrice Whitehorne-Smith Wendel Abel Kunal Lalwani Joni-Gaye McLeary Neena Albarus Investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use: analysis of a population-based survey in Jamaica BMJ Open |
| title | Investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use: analysis of a population-based survey in Jamaica |
| title_full | Investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use: analysis of a population-based survey in Jamaica |
| title_fullStr | Investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use: analysis of a population-based survey in Jamaica |
| title_full_unstemmed | Investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use: analysis of a population-based survey in Jamaica |
| title_short | Investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol, tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use: analysis of a population-based survey in Jamaica |
| title_sort | investigating the associations of age of initiation and other psychosocial factors of singular alcohol tobacco and marijuana usage on polysubstance use analysis of a population based survey in jamaica |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/11/e076111.full |
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