ASSOCIATION BETWEEN ANTIDEPRESSANT USE AND LIFESTYLE HABITS AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS

Resumo

INTRODUCTION: The academic life of university students is marked by an overloaded and exhausting routine, which often leads to the concomitant use of psychoactive and illicit substances, such as antidepressants, alcohol, and tobacco. Consequently, this excludes them
from engaging in daily physical activities that help prevent depressive symptoms. Additionally, the influence of these factors on sleep quality of students must be considered. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to analyze whether there is association between antidepressant use, sleep quality, smoking, alcohol consumption, and physical activity among university students. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study was submitted to the Research Ethics Committee (CEP) of the Federal University of Pampa (UNIPAMPA) and approved under opinion number 5,854,845. Subsequently, a questionnaire on the topic was administered to 244 UNIPAMPA students between April and May 2024. After this stage, the chi-square test was performed to assess the association between antidepressant use and the other variables addressed. RESULTS: Among the 244 responses, the sample consisted of 45 (18.4%) men and 199 (81.6%) women, with a mean age of 23.1 (±4.8) years. The present study observed that students who engage in more physical activity use fewer antidepressants (p=0.029). On the other hand, antidepressant users smoke significantly more than non-users (p<0.000). Regarding sleep quality (p=0.060) and alcohol use (p=0.611), no statistically significant correlation was found with antidepressant use.CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated interdependence between the data, showing that students who engage in physical activity use fewer antidepressants, unlike smokers, who resort to this class of medication more frequently.