Drug involvement among secondary school students at suicide risk in Cape Town

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate drug involvement (conceptualized as drug use frequency, drug access, drug use control, and adverse use consequences) in a sample of 1157 secondary school students at low and at high risk of suicide who completed a self-administered questionnaire in three schools in Cape Town, South Africa. Drug use frequency, access, control and consequences were compared among 366 students who scored at high risk of suicide on the suicide risk screen and 791 who score in the low risk range. Students at high rather than low risk of suicide endorsed a much greater breadth and depth of drug use, less drug use control and greater adverse consequences due to drug use. Findings have implications for prevention programs, especially for students at risk of suicide.