Substance use (SU) by young people (YP; YPSU) can lead to short- and long-term harms. Although YPSU has been falling over the past 20 years in the UK, evidence suggests that it is now increasing again among some groups. Studies suggest that these changes may depend on where YP live, how they socialise, the health/social challenges that they face, and the ways in which they access and use substances.

This project is part of a larger study that is working with YP and other experts to understand in what ways and for which groups of YP SU is changing. We are developing and testing new theories to help us understand the most important factors that underpin these increases. Some factors relate to individuals, including mental health or experiences of the care system; others will relate to wider contexts such as communities, policy, and youth culture, including how drug markets have changed, changes in leisure and recreation, or shifts in attitudes towards SU; and others depend on the interactions between all of these.

In this project we will first examine whether there is evidence that YP may be using drugs to help cope with mental health problems. We will then explore whether YP who use alcohol and have mental health problems have worse outcomes if they also use drugs such as cannabis.