Anxiety, depression, and alcohol consumption in high school students

Introduction: adolescents face different mental health problems (anxiety and depression), and to face them, some of them consume legal substances, exposing them to risks and personal, social, and family problems, negatively impacting their lifestyles. Objective: to determine the relationship between anxiety, depression, and alcohol consumption in high school students. Methods: non-experimental, quantitative, descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional research, in a sample of 251 high school students, with simple random probability sampling, applying the Beck anxiety and depression inventories and the AUDIT questionnaire, with descriptive and inferential analysis in accordance with national ethical aspects for research. Results: 53.8% were female and 46.2% male, 62.5% were 15 to 16 years old, 39.0% were in the fifth semester (35.9%) and 75.7% were Catholic. In relation to the classification of variables, 66.9% have very low anxiety, moderate (23.9%) and severe (9.2%). 39.0% present minimal depression, 20.3% mild, 22.3% moderate and 18.3% severe. 50.6% are abstinent from alcohol, 29.5% occasional drinking, 17.1% risk, 1.6% harmful and 1.2% alcohol dependence. Results: 53.8% are female and 46.2% male, 62.5% are 15 to 16 years old, 39.0% are in the fifth semester (35.9%) third, with Catholic religion 75.7%. In relation to the classification of variables, 66.9% have very low anxiety, moderate (23.9%) and severe (9.2%). 39.0% present minimal depression, 20.3% mild, 22.3% moderate and 18.3% severe. 50.6% are abstinent from alcohol, 29.5% occasional drinking, 17.1% risk, 1.6% harmful and 1.2% alcohol dependence. Conclusions: There is a relationship of anxiety and depression (rs=.647, p=<0.01); anxiety and alcohol consumption (rs=.178, p=<0.01) and concern that anxiety (rs=.194, p=<0.01) and depression (rs=.155, p=<0.01) levels are more developed in people who tried alcohol early age (rs=.219, p=<0.01). It is necessary to intervene in a timely manner to reduce risks, ensure permanence and completion of studies, since the older the age, the problem may become more acute, given that alcohol is a legal and portal drug.