Construcción y validación de una escala para medir los roles de género en el consumo de drogas en adolescentes mexicanos

Introduction: the gender gap that existed in the past between adolescent males and females in terms of drug use has now practically disappeared. However, the gender perspective is relatively new in the study of drug use, especially in Mexico. Frequently, research has overlooked the premise that gender is separate and distinct from sex, focusing primarily on identifying consumption differences based on sex. This has led to a limited understanding of how cultural norms might be involved in the initiation, use, and abuse of drugs among adolescents. Objective: to construct and validate a scale that measures gender roles in substance use. Method: a cross-sectional study was carried out in 706 public high school students in the State of Sonora. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was performed to establish the relationship between the observed variables and the latent dimensions. Results: factor analysis demonstrated the validity of the scale and confirmed the existence of a four-factor structure: (F1) social expectations of drug use; (F2) motives for drug use in women; (F3) social norms of drug use, and (F4) motives for drug use in men;the model showed an adequate fit and high reliability. Discussion and conclusions: the scale is ideal for undertaking research to explore how gender roles influence drug use among Mexican adolescents.