Introduction:

The use of psychoactive substances is a public health problem with a high prevalence in adolescents, which also affects the individual and social development of adults.

Objective:

To determine the psychosocial factors related to the use of psychoactive substances in children and adolescents of a public school from Pereira (Colombia).

Materials and methods:

A descriptive correlational study was conducted on 235 students of a public school, aged between 10 and 19 years, who completed an anonymous survey to examine the prevalence and psychosocial factors associated with the use of psychoactive substances.

Results:

Adequate parental supervision is a protective factor against psychoactive drug use (p<0.05) (OR<1). Schoolchildren are 6.5 times more likely to engage in drug use when they interact with psychoactive-drug user friends [OR=6.555 95%CI (3.147-13.653)]. Those with family members who engage in this drug use have a 2.2 times higher possibility to use psychoactive substances [OR=2.231 95%CI (1.292-3.852)].

Conclusions:

The use of psychoactive substances shows a high prevalence in the participating schoolchildren and is mainly related to factors such as being in higher grades in their school and having either a family member or a friend who uses psychoactive substances.

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