SELF-ESTEEM AND DEPRESSIVE TENDENCIES AS RISK FACTORS IN SUBSTANCE CONSUMPTION IN YOUTH
SELF-ESTEEM AND DEPRESSIVE TENDENCIES AS RISK FACTORS IN SUBSTANCE CONSUMPTION IN YOUTH

Summary/Abstract: Self-esteem is the result of the assessment that a person makes about one’s self, which makes that person feels more or less valuable. Depression is a disposition disorder, characterized by sadness, helplessness, loneliness and apathy. Substance consumption (like alcohol or nicotine) is sometimes used by people as self-medication, in order to achieve a certain mental balance, when they confront with life situations that they cannot manage. A sample of 115 young people, aged between 20 and 25 years old, has been assessed with Rosenberg’s Self Esteem Scale (1965), Dysfunctional Attitude Scale (Beck & Weisman, 1978) and a survey regarding substance consumption, made by the author, based on the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Other Drugs (ESPAD 2015). The study aims: (1) To identify what types of substances are consumed by the subjects; (2) To identify gender differences in substance consumption; (3) To assess the level of self-esteem and depression for all the subjects involved; (4) To identify a correlation between self-esteem, depression and substance consumption. Our findings show: smoking and alcohol use are the main substances used by the subjects; there are no significant differences between male and female subjects regarding substance consumption; the majority of the respondents have low self-esteem levels and above average and high depressive tendencies; there is no significant correlation between self-esteem and substance consumption, but there is a significant correlation between depression and substance consumption. The importance of these results is discussed in the end.

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