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Objective: In this study we aimed to examine the trends and gender differences in substance use behaviors and treatment seeking patterns of children and adolescents who were admitted to an addiction treatment center in Turkey.
Method: Participants were 2718 children and adolescents who had been consecutively admitted to the ‘Children and Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Dependency Treatment Center’ in Istanbul between January 2011 and December 2013. A detailed drug use questionnaire was completed by all participants, and substance use characteristics were analyzed in terms of gender and substance types. The data regarding age of first use, age at referral, referral pattern, and type of the substances used were compared between three years (2011, 2012, and 2013) and between genders.
Results: There was a statistically significant increase in the number of females (p<0.001) and in the total number of children and adolescents (p<0.001) seeking treatment for substance use through these years. The mean age of first use was 13.8 years (SD: 2.1) and the mean age at referral for treatment was 16.1 years (SD: 1.5) in the whole group. The mean age at referral for treatment was significantly lower in the female group (p<0.001). There was a statistically significant increase in the proportion of subjects admitted to the addiction treatment center alone or with their family (p<0.001) and in the number of subjects brought in by social services (p<0.001), while there was a statistically significant decrease in the number of non-voluntary referrals from forensic services through the years (p<0.001). There was a statistically significant increase in the rate of ecstasy, heroin, synthetic cannabinoid use and polysubstance use and a statistically significant decrease in the age of first use (p<0.0001) and inhalant/solvent use through the years. Use of solvents/ inhalants was more common among men (p<0.001), whereas ecstasy and cocaine use was more common among women (for each, p<0.001). Polysubstance use was present in 60.2% of the subjects, and there was a statistically significant increase in the mean number of substance types used in the last two years (p<0.001).
Conclusion: As different and new illicit drugs rise and fall in popularity, it is important to re-examine the patterns of substance use and to re-organize the prevention policies and treatment strategies. Considering the decrease in the age of first use and the increase in the number of youth using multiple drugs and/or hard drugs, new and more effective preventive strategies should be developed targeting children and adolescents in Turkey