A new study by Portugal’s Institute for Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies (ICAD) reveals a broadly positive trend among the country’s adolescents, with fewer problems and lower levels of consumption than in 2019. However, the highest-risk behaviours are increasingly concentrated among a smaller group of young people who accumulate multiple vulnerability factors.
Overall Decline in Problematic Behaviours
The Study on Alcohol, Tobacco, Drugs and other Addictive Behaviours (ECATD-CAD 2024) examined problematic addictive behaviours among pupils in Portuguese state schools aged between 13 and 18. According to ICAD, there has been “a consistent reduction in the experience of all the problematic situations analysed, including violent conduct, accidents, hospitalisations, risky sexual behaviours and other episodes with potential negative consequences.”
This improvement is unfolding alongside better academic performance, greater parental supervision and fewer nights out among adolescents — factors the report says “appear to contribute to an environment that is generally more protective against risk behaviours.”
Risks Concentrated in Vulnerable Groups
Despite the encouraging overall picture, ICAD warns that “in several indicators there is a growing concentration of the highest-risk behaviours in a relatively small group of adolescents, characterised by profiles of greater individual and social vulnerability.” The institute stresses that a reduction in the overall number of consumers does not eliminate the need for intervention targeting specific groups.
Recent consumption of alcohol and, above all, illicit drugs remains one of the main factors associated with involvement in problematic situations — a trend the report notes has become more pronounced since 2019.
“The group of pupils who use psychoactive substances show significantly higher prevalence of risky sexual behaviours, problems with the police, interpersonal violence, accidents and other potentially serious situations,” ICAD states, while cautioning that most problematic situations do not occur immediately following consumption.
Polyconsumption Amplifies Risk
The report distinguishes between drinking alcohol only and polyconsumption, identifying both as important factors in the likelihood of experiencing problems. Adolescents who combine recent alcohol and illicit drug use “display substantially higher levels of involvement in accidents, problems with the police, cyberbullying and risky sexual behaviours when compared with those who consume only alcoholic drinks.”
For alcohol, motivations linked to pleasure, fun and sociability remain predominant. However, ICAD highlights a significant proportion of young people who say they drink to forget their problems — an “indicator frequently associated with the development of harmful patterns of use and dependence.”
In the case of cannabis, although most users show no indicators of dependency risk, “there is an increase in the proportion of users classified as high risk, alongside growth in the group without any identified risk.”
Social Media Tops Non-Substance Concerns
Among non-substance-related addictive behaviours, social media remains the primary concern, with a significant share of young people acknowledging they spend too much time on these platforms. Indicators of problematic electronic gaming remain broadly stable compared with the previous edition.
Gambling for money, while still involving only a minority of adolescents, shows an increase in prevalence — though accompanied by a slight decrease in problematic indicators such as the need to increase amounts wagered.
Gender and Regional Differences
Important differences emerge between boys and girls. Male pupils continue to show greater involvement in problems with the police and in risky electronic gaming and gambling. Girls stand out for higher prevalence of problematic social media use and for resorting to alcohol as a coping strategy for emotional difficulties.
Social and family factors also play a role. The profile most associated with problematic behaviours includes low academic achievement, weaker parental supervision, frequent nights out and lower physical and emotional wellbeing. Conversely, good school performance, parental supervision and greater wellbeing act as protective factors.
Regional analysis reveals shifts since the previous study. Alentejo now appears as the region with the highest concentration of unfavourable indicators, followed by the Autonomous Region of the Azores, while Lisbon no longer occupies the position of greatest vulnerability observed in 2019.
