Conhecimento de Estudantes do Ensino Superior da Área da Saúde Sobre Drogas Psicoativas: Um Estudo Qualitativo

Background: Knowledge of psychoactive substances is essential for health professional training and affects care quality. Objective: To identify and analyze undergraduate health students’ knowledge of psychoactive substances. Methodology: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted with 31 Nursing, Physical therapy, and Dentistry students recruited in classrooms between February and April 2023. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were carried out. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis, as well as similarity and co-occurrence analysis. Dual coding, researcher triangulation, and an audit trail were used to enhance credibility. Results: The sample was predominantly female (n = 27; 87.1%), aged 18 to 49 years. Participants mentioned a total of 83 drug references, with marijuana, cocaine, crack, and ecstasy being the most frequently cited. Two main themes emerged: (1) Effects on the central nervous system; (2) Psychological effects and therapeutic use. Some participants identified psychoactive drugs as medications. Conclusion: Students demonstrated heterogeneous knowledge with gaps, suggesting the need to integrate content related to psychoactive drugs into curricula and implement active teaching strategies to improve clinical practice.