Substance Use and Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms Among Out-of-school Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Cape Town, South Africa

Overview

Journal S Afr Med J

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2021 Jan 6

PMID 33404004

Citations 7

Authors

C P Bonner

T Carney

F A Browne

J W Ndirangu

B N Howard

W M Wechsberg

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: There is a high prevalence of substance use among youth in South Africa (SA), and adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) experience high rates of depression and anxiety. Substance use behaviours and mental health are associated with other public health problems among AGYW such as HIV and unintended pregnancy. Therefore, understanding the relationship between substance use and mental health is imperative to improve AGYW's health.

Objectives: To examine the association between heavy drinking, marijuana, methamphetamine and methaqualone (Mandrax) use and depressive and anxiety symptoms among AGYW aged 16 - 19 years who have dropped out of school in Cape Town, SA.

Methods: Data for this report come from the baseline data of 500 participants of an ongoing cluster-randomised trial assessing the efficacy of a young woman-focused intervention to reduce substance use and HIV risk. After AGYW consented/assented to participate, they completed a urine drug screen and a baseline questionnaire.

Results: Logistic and negative binomial regressions, controlling for clustering at the neighbourhood level, revealed that frequency of depressive symptoms was significantly and positively related to a positive drug screen for Mandrax (β=0.07; p=0.03). All other associations between the frequency of depressive symptoms and substance use were not statistically significant (ps>0.05). The associations between frequency of anxiety symptoms and substance use were not statistically significant (ps>0.05).

Conclusions: Our findings highlight the need to address substance use, especially Mandrax use and its associated risk, and depression in an integrated, youth-friendly setting.

Citing Articles

Exploring the relationship between established HIV risk factors and depressive symptoms amongst young women without HIV in two sites in South Africa.

Gumbi Z, Mehou-Loko C, Masson L, Mdladla M, Maphumulo N, Passmore J PLoS One. 2025; 20(1):e0317732.

PMID: 39879190 PMC: 11778764. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0317732.

Relationship Between Criminal and Status Offense Behaviors, Substance Use, and HIV Risk Among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Cape Town, South Africa.

Carney T, Myers B, Browne F, Kline T, Bonner C, Ndirangu J Int J Ment Health Addict. 2024; 22(5):2893-2906.

PMID: 39712238 PMC: 11659376. DOI: 10.1007/s11469-023-01130-x.

Outcomes of substance use and sexual power among adolescent girls and young women in Cape Town: Implications for structural and cultural differences.

Wechsberg W, Browne F, Carney T, Kline T, Howard B, Russell S Glob Public Health. 2024; 19(1):2340500.

PMID: 38628080 PMC: 11168726. DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2024.2340500.

Characteristics and risk factors of Health-Related Risky behaviors in adolescents with Depression.

Wang H, Wang Z, Li X, Liu J Child Adolesc Psychiatry Ment Health. 2024; 18(1):34.

PMID: 38500185 PMC: 10949750. DOI: 10.1186/s13034-024-00722-2.

Binge drinking and condom negotiation behaviours among adolescent girls and young women living in Cape Town, South Africa: sexual control and perceived personal power.

Singer S, Wechsberg W, Kline T, Browne F, Howard B, Carney T BMC Public Health. 2023; 23(1):2282.

PMID: 37980472 PMC: 10657119. DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17188-0.

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