Effectiveness of interventions to prevent psychoactive substance use among university students: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Psychoactive substance use among university students remains a relevant public health challenge, with potential academic, psychosocial and clinical consequences. This chapter synthesises the evidence on the effectiveness of preventive interventions targeting psychoactive substance use in university students. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted following PRISMA 2020 recommendations. Searches were performed in major bibliographic databases, including peer-reviewed studies assessing preventive interventions in higher education settings. Risk of bias was appraised using standard tools for randomised trials, and certainty of evidence was considered where applicable. Results: Preventive programmes combining skills training and psychosocial components tended to show more favourable effects compared with minimal or usual interventions, although heterogeneity across interventions, outcomes and follow-up periods was observed. Conclusion: Preventive interventions can contribute to risk reduction in university populations; however, standardisation of outcomes and improved reporting of intervention fidelity are required to strengthen comparability and implementation in academic contexts.”