Depression and use of psychoactive substances among teachers of a public university

Abstract

The work has undergone political, cultural and institutional changes, which have subjected the worker to a more intense and exhausting routine. These transformations impacted the organization and working conditions of teachers, being associated to the teacher's illness, to the psychic suffering apprehended as depression and to the consumption of psychoactive substances. The objective of this study was to describe the relationship between depression and psychoactive substance use among university teachers. Research developed at a public university, whose data were collected by Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test and Beck Depression Inventory. 80% of the teachers surveyed stated consumption of alcoholic beverages and 27.3% of tobacco products; among the substances considered illegal marijuana stands out (15.2%). Evidence of depression was found in men (52.6%), aged 31-40 years, married and with a masters degree (57.9%). As to the association between the use of some psychoactive substance and the depressive symptomatology, this was more prevalent among those who mentioned alcohol consumption (68.4%). Although conditions are determined by several and complex factors, there are relationships between depression and the use of psychoactive substances among teachers in the researched scenario; the precariousness of work generates psychological suffering and the sickness of the teacher.