Prevalence of school violence and use of alcohol and other drugs in adolescents

OBJECTIVE: to analyze the school violence suffered and practiced and its association with the use of alcohol and other drugs in adolescents between 12 and 18 years old. METHOD: the study sample consisted of 643 adolescents enrolled in six schools, who answered two self-administered questionnaires: “Global School-based Student Health Survey” and “Violence in School”. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test and the degree of association between the variables was analyzed using the prevalence ratio. RESULTS: the prevalence of school violence suffered and practiced was 62.2% and 51.9%, respectively. About 44.6% of the aggressors said they did not want to change their behavior. There was an expressive prevalence of alcohol use (16.5%), tobacco (15.7%) and illicit drugs (6.8%), and drunkenness (12.6%). There was a significant association between the violence suffered and the age group of 12 to 14 years old (p=0.001); (p=0.011) and education level in elementary school (p<0.001). In mothers with less than eight years of studies, the association was significant for the violence practiced (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: the study contributes to the aspects involved in school violence, which can subsidize actions and policies in this area.