NON-CURATIVE USE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND VOLUPTUOUS RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG DEPRESSED YOUTHS

 NON-CURATIVE USE OF PRESCRIPTION DRUGS AND VOLUPTUOUS RISK BEHAVIORS AMONG DEPRESSED YOUTHS

 

Non-curative prescription drug abuse is an issue that has plagued the youth in Ghana over the past decade and more. Besides, depression is prevalent among our youth with multiple depressive occurrences reported in the past year by 31%. As such, the purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between non-curative use of prescription drugs (NCUPD) among depressed high school students and sexual behaviors. The data were drawn from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey 2020 (n=15,624). This national study is conducted every odd year and is a representative sample of high school students in Ghana. Logistic regression was conducted to determine the relationship between NCUPD and sexual behavior among students who self-reported a depressive occurrence. The study found that those students who reported NCUPD and multiple depressive occurrences in the past year were significantly more likely to have initiated sexual intercourse, have had sex with four or more sexual partners, to be currently sexually active, and to use alcohol or other drugs before their last sexual encounter. The results also indicated that high school students who are depressed may self-medicate with narcotic drugs that were not prescribed to them. In turn, because of the impaired judgment of narcotic drugs, they may engage in risky sexual behaviors. The study concludes that there is a wealth of information on the use of NCUPD among young youth populations whereas studies on the use of NCUPD among younger adolescents have reported a great deal less. There is a need for researchers and relevant organizations to investigate and identify effective measures to curb NCUPD issues in adolescence