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Alcohol, cannabis and ecstasy use was investigated in a representative sample of 843 secondary-school students aged 14-19. In addition to answering questions on substance use, the participants completed questionnaires concerning social and behavioural factors, achievement at school and perceived substance use among friends. All the students completed Cloniger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire and the Eysenck questionnaire. It was found that 76.5 per cent of the students had consumed alcohol at least once in their lives, 38.4 per cent had abused alcohol, 27.1 per cent had used cannabis and 5.5 per cent had used ecstasy. Gender differences were significant in the use of alcohol and ecstasy, with male subjects outnumbering females; the trend was reversed for cannabis use. The extent of exposure to alcohol and illicit drugs was more common among males than among females. Elements found to be associated with illicit drug use included high socio-economic group, low levels of achievement at school, high rates of failure at school, less involvement in volunteer social activities, transgressive behaviour, high scores in novelty seeking on the Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire and social coping impairment according to the Eysenck scale. Results of the present study suggest an increase in alcohol and illicit drug use among young people, in comparison with the results of previous studies, with the early onset of substance use in adolescents (persons aged 14-16). Many of the behavioural and psychometric changes associated with substance use do not correlate with the extent of exposure to alcohol and drugs. Such changes may be attributed in part to premorbid disorders and temperamental features. Prevention strategies need to focus on children and adolescent subtypes who show specific lifestyle, behavioural and psychological features.
