Spirituality and substance use in a sample of Russian adolescents.
OBJECTIVE
The aim was to examine the effects of spirituality on recent cigarette and alcohol use, intentions to use cigarette and alcohol, and perceived risks of cigarette/alcohol use in a sample of Russian adolescents.


METHODS
Cross-sectional data were obtained from 362 10th graders from Ufa, Russia.


RESULTS
Adolescents scoring higher on spirituality were significantly more likely to report lower levels of intentions to use cigarettes or alcohol. However, spirituality was not associated with recent cigarette/alcohol use or perceived risks. Analyzed separately for ethnic Russians and non-Russians, the relationship between spirituality and intentions were significant only among ethnic non-Russians.


CONCLUSIONS
Our data suggests that the protective effects of spirituality on substance use may not be universal and may depend on subjects' national, ethnic, or religious background.
University of Hawaii Cancer Center, Honolulu, HI, USA. ppokhrel@cc.hawaii.edu
Pallav
P
Pokhrel
Steve
S
Sussman
Shekhar
S
Regmi
Jeffrey S
JS
Hallam
Vadim
V
Kniazev
Radik
R
Masagutov
D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005006:Ethnicity; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012307:Risk Factors; D012426:Russia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D000074606:Smoking Prevention; D029181:Spirituality; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires