The study’s relevance is due to the lack of systemic data on the causal relationship of habitat conditions, social status, and population phenotype with the prevalence of alcoholism and tobacco smoking in the Russian population.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the direction and severity of the relationship between natural, social, and phenotypic factors of human consumption of legal psychoactive substances (PAS).
MATERIAL AND METHODS
In the first (theoretical) phase of the study, the relationship between the consumption of legal PAS and the main parameters of the living environment of the Russian population was revealed. In the second (experimental) phase of the study, including 112 students (aged 18—25 years) of the indigenous population of the Samara region, the relationship of phenotypic status parameters with alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking was studied. The study was performed in person, anonymously, during scheduled training sessions in April 2021. Standard parameters of alcohol and tobacco addiction (consumption duration, frequency, and doses) were used to identify and interpret the consumption of legal PAS. The psychological status of the study subjects was assessed using the indicators of the Freiburg multifactorial personality questionnaire, accentuations of temperament and personality traits, frustration, adventurousness, and social destructiveness. The performance status of the subjects was assessed according to the level of general non-specific organism reactivity.
RESULTS
The study showed a linear distribution of legal PAS consumption levels from the maximum values typical for the residents of the northern and eastern territories of Russia with an average annual air temperature of 0 °C and below to the minimum values of the population in the southern parts of the European region of Russia with an average annual air temperature of +8.3 °C and above. We observed the linear correlation between the average annual air temperature and the main crime parameter — the level of homicides, as well as the suicide rate, reflecting the severity of depressive disorders in the population of the Russian Federation.Some phenotype features determining biological and psychological predisposition to PAS consumption were found to be related to individual alcohol consumption and tobacco smoking.A direct relationship between a high level of non-specific organism reactivity and the frequency of alcohol consumption, as well as the proportion of smokers among students, was demonstrated. Most consumers of legal PAS had the following features: adventurousness, and spontaneous and reactive aggression, which are typical for males and females who consume alcohol, as well as for males who smoke. Compared to other groups of PAS consumers, female smokers demonstrate slightly lower psychological indicators (frustration, depression, spontaneous aggressiveness, irritability, and social destructiveness) versus non-smoking females, which is likely due to the significant adaptive response of the female body to tobacco smoking.
CONCLUSION
The relationship between environmental factors and alcohol and tobacco consumption in the Russian population was established. In addition, the relationship between natural, social, and phenotypic factors of human consumption of legal psychoactive substances was characterized.
