The Prevalence of Psychotropic Drugs and Relevant Factors in Iranian Youth: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Document Type : Review Article(s)

Authors

1 Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

2 Student Research Committee, School of Health, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract

Background: Psychotropic drugs can cause many complications and side effects including cognitive, 
behavioral, and psychological disorders. In recent years, the Iranian youth and adolescents have growingly 
been using psychotropic drugs. Therefore, this study analyzes the overall prevalence of psychotropic drugs 
and the relevant factors among the Iranian youth through a systematic review and a meta-analysis.

Methods: Based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 
checklist, this study includes a systematic review and a meta-analysis. For bias prevention, qualitative 
evaluation and data extraction were performed independently by two people. Different databases (PubMed, 
Science Direct, Springer, Wiley, ISI Web of Science, Cochran, Google Scholar, Magiran, IranMedex, SID, ISC) 
were investigated online, and data analysis was done in Stata software.

Findings: In total, 5 articles were selected for the meta-analysis phase. They had been published between 
2008 and 2018. According to the meta-analysis results, the overall prevalence of psychotropic drugs was 
4.18% [95% confidence interval (CI): 2.52-5.84] in the Iranian youth population. The overall prevalence of 
psychotropic drugs was 4.74% (95% CI: 1.49-7.99) and 1.06% (95% CI: 0.72-1.41) in young men and women, 
respectively. Three studies indicated a significant relationship between gender and the use of psychotropic 
drugs. In other words, the prevalence of psychotropic drugs was significantly higher in boys than in girls 
(P < 0.05).

Conclusion: The research results showed that family, parents, close friends, and unemployment were the 
factors affecting the prevalence of psychotropic drugs in the youth and adolescents.

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