An overview of the use of psychoactive substances among students at the University of Lille during the COVID-19 health crisis: Results of the PETRA study

OBJECTIVESStudents represent a population at risk for substance abuse. That risk may have been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. We aimed to describe substance abuse among students and to compare consumption according to the university field. METHODSA self-administered questionnaire was sent by email to all students at the University of Lille, France, between March and July 2021. This anonymous questionnaire included questions about sociodemographic characteristics, university courses and the use of psychoactive substances (frequency, reasons, routes of administration) since the first university year. RESULTSAmong the 4431 students who responded (response rate 6.1%), eighty percent declared having used alcohol since the first university year, 34% cannabis, 15.4% benzodiazepines, 14.7% opioid drugs, 7.5% cocaine, 6.8% nitrous oxide and 6.5% MDMA. More than 20% of the users of cannabis, benzodiazepines, amphetamines and cocaine reported having already felt dependent. Recreational use was described by more than 10% of benzodiazepine or opioid drug users. Nitrous oxide use was significantly more frequent in the health and sport field (p