Drug use influence on mindfulness among nursing students

ABSTRACT Objective: To assess the association between the presence of drug use and the dimensions of mindfulness in a population of students of technical education in nursing. Method: Correlational study conducted in a teaching institution in the inlands of the state of São Paulo, in 2017. Participants were 135 students for which the ASSIST questionnaire with personal characterization data and the Mindfulness Five-facet Questionnaire were applied. Data were analyzed with use of descriptive and analytical statistics. Results: The most used drugs were alcohol, tobacco and cannabis. The lowest score for mindfulness was 49 and the maximum was 171 points. There was a positive association between the presence of drugs in the three previous months and the “non-reactivity to internal experience” facet (p=0.004). Conclusion: Although the association seems to be in line with the precepts of mindfulness, this fact cannot be considered positive if analyzed separately from the other concepts of mindfulness. Descriptors: Mindfulness; Substance Use Disorders; Nursing Students; Technical Education in Nursing; Mental Health.