The association between depression, anxiety and substance use among Canadian post-secondary students

• Published in: Neuropsychiatric disease and treatment Vol. 14; pp. 3241 - 3251
• Main Authors: Esmaeelzadeh, Sarvenaz, Moraros, John, Thorpe, Lilian, Bird, Yelena
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.01.2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Academic achievement; Alcohol; Alcohols; Analysis; Anxiety; cannabis; Care and treatment; College campuses; College students; Colleges & universities; Depression; Depression (Mood disorder); Divorce; Drinking (Alcoholic beverages); Education; Females; Foreign students; Marijuana; Mental depression; Mental disorders; Mental health; Minority & ethnic groups; Original Research; Personal development; post-secondary students; Public health; Smoking; Sociodemographics; Students; Substance abuse; Substance abuse treatment; Substance use; Surveys; Teenagers; Tobacco; Variables; Canada; alcohol; cannabis; anxiety; tobacco; depression; post-secondary students
• ISSN: 1176-6328; 1178-2021; 1178-2021
• DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S187419

This study aims to examine the association between depression, anxiety and substance use among Canadian post-secondary students. This study used data from the spring 2016, American College Health Association - National College Health Assessment II (ACHA-NCHA II) survey. It includes 43,780 college students from 41 Canadian post-secondary institutions. The exposure variables of interest were alcohol, cannabis and tobacco use, and the outcome variables of interest were diagnosis or treatment for depression and/or anxiety. Descriptive statistics, univariate and multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze our data. Our study found that 14.7% of post-secondary students were diagnosed or treated for depression and 18.4% for anxiety within the past 12 months. Among current (past 30 days) substance use, it was reported that alcohol (69.3%), cannabis (17.9%) and tobacco (11%) were the most common. There was a significant association between depression and current tobacco use (OR =1.36, 95% CI: 1.22-1.52, <0.001) and current cannabis use (OR =1.17, 95% CI: 1.05-1.31, <0.001). There was also a gender-specific association between anxiety and female alcohol users (OR =1.41, 95% CI: 1.24-1.62, <0.001). The results of this study found significant associations between depression, tobacco use and cannabis use, and anxiety and alcohol use among post-secondary students. These conditions should be screened concurrently for improved outcomes among this vulnerable population.