This study aims to understand the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the use of illicit substances by young people with delinquent behaviours. Early onset of substance use in adolescence has been associated with increased delinquency and subsequent criminality, specifically including violent crime, and being at particularly high risk of serious problems later in life (Gordon et al., 2004). As the pandemic progressed, containment measures were implemented (Duarte, 2020), causing in young people various stressors such as fear of being infected, distress, loneliness, anxiety and depression (Scalia et al., 2020). These variables may have caused changes in the contexts and patterns of illicit substance use. To understand such changes several professionals who work with young people with deviant behaviours and drug use were interviewed. It was possible to conclude that substances such as cannabis, heroin and crack remained stable throughout the pandemic while others such as ecstasy and cocaine, associated with recreational use, decreased. There were also changes in the market for the purchase and sale of substances, which adapted to the confinements.
Date of Award | 15 Jul 2022 |
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Original language | Portuguese |
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Awarding Institution | - Universidade Católica Portuguesa
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Supervisor | Raquel Matos (Supervisor) & Maria João Leote de Carvalho (Co-Supervisor) |
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- Pandemic covid-19
- Drugs use
- Youth
- Delinquency
Pandemia Covid-19 e consumos de substâncias ilícitas em jovens com comportamentos delinquentes
Silva, M. B. A. C. D. (Student). 15 Jul 2022
Student thesis: Master's Thesis