Objective:

To analyze the association between school situation and use of psychoactive substances by students with disabilities.

Methods:

A cross-sectional study carried out in public schools. The study population was students with disabilities. The Teen Addiction Severity Index questionnaire was used. The data were analyzed using the Chi-square test, the linear trend Chi-square test (Mantel-Haenszel extension) and the ANOVA test. The study was approved by Research Ethics Committee.

Results:

The participants were 110 students, most of them belonging to the age group between 20 and 30 years old, male, brown-skinned, Catholics, and with intellectual disabilities. 70% of the participants reported never having used psychoactive substances; in turn, 30% asserted having used these substances at least once in their lifetime. Among the substances consumed, 19.4% reported sedatives, 4.6% alcohol, 0.9% opioids, and 0.9% tobacco. There was an association between age and use of psychoactive substances. There was no significant association between school situation and use of these substances.

Conclusions:

The findings highlighted that there is greater consumption of licit psychoactive substances among students with disabilities, which is associated with age. These results are important for nurses to develop their activities to prevent psychoactive substance abuse.

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