Substance use in Spanish adolescents: The relationship between depression and social support seeking

The lack of family or social support and social circles are risk factors for the onset of substance use and teen depression. In turn, depression is a risk factor for substance consumption itself. Although there is evidence on the relationship between coping strategies and substance abuse, there are few data on adolescents. The present study aimed to analyze the relationship between coping based on social support and depression, with reference to tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis consumption in a sample of Spanish adolescents. Various measures were administered to 1,522 adolescent students in the province of Alicante. The results showed a significant relationship between social support, depression, and consumption of tobacco and alcohol, and a marginally significant relationship with the frequency of tobacco consumption. Although the models were significant, there was not an interaction effect of coping and depression, due to the simple effects of both the variables, which may have accounted for the results. The lack of interaction may be due to previous studies examine the relationship between coping and stress, finding the same effect with depression.