Differences in the consumption of psychoactive substances and psychotropic drugs among Medical and Psychology students at exam time more

The increase in stress among university students at exam time has been associated with an increase in the consumption of psychoactive substances and psychotropic drugs. The aim of this paper was to describe and analyze the differences in the consumption of psychoactive substances and psychotropic drugs among Medical and Psychology students at exam time. A total of 257 students of Miguel Hernández University were involved in this study. The participants, aged between 17 and 25, were selected from different years of Psychology and Medicine degrees. Several questionnaires were used to assess the consumption of psychoactive substances and psychotropic drugs, as well as depression and anxiety levels. Regarding the results, Psychology students showed a higher consumption of recreational drugs, such as tobacco or cannabis. However, Medical students reported a higher consumption of psychotropic drugs, besides more depression and anxiety. The level of prior
information about the substances or the accessibility to them might have influenced the differences between both degrees, so that future papers should focus on the assessment of these risk factors.