Background:

There is increasing evidence of deterioration in the mental health of the population, especially among women and adolescents. We aimed to analyze gender inequalities in the consumption of anxiolytics and hypnosedatives (AHS) among adolescents in Spain in 2021 and its time trend, from an intersectional approach.

Methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional study of time trends based on the ESTUDES national survey (n=22,321), comprising students between the ages of fourteen and eighteen. We calculated prevalences, prevalence ratios (PR) and interaction terms for consumption (both ever and in the last year), based on robust variance Poisson models, by sex, age, place of origin and parents' educational level. We also examine trends in consumption between 2010 and 2021.

Results:

Female students showed higher consumption in all categories of the studied variables, together with a higher probability of use (PRvital=1.56 [1.47-1.64] and PRannual=1.81 [1.69-1.94]). Likewise, consumption increased with age, more pronounced in the case of male students (18 years old: PRvital=1,93 1,62-2,28]). Place of origin showed no statistically significant differences in AHS consumption. Lower educational level of parents predicted higher consumption among daughters, with mothers´ educational level showing a stronger association. Consumption increased over the 11-year period, and was consistently higher among women.

Conclusions:

We observe inequalities by gender and parents' educational level in AHS use among adolescents in Spain. It is critical to apply the model of the social determinants of health, which will lead to effective interventions in public health.

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