Guillermo Francisco Martínez-Montás, Orquiria Rafaela Colón-Santana
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Objective: The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and patterns of alcohol and other drug use among vulnerable populations and to assess the quality and certainty of the evidence using PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) reporting standards and GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) criteria.
Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines. Searches in PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Embase (2010-2025) identified observational studies reporting substance use among vulnerable groups (refugees, migrants, homeless individuals, and socially excluded adolescents). Eighteen studies comprising more than 98,000 participants (approximately two thirds male) were included. Data were extracted independently, and pooled prevalence estimates were calculated using random-effects models (DerSimonian-Laird estimator) in JASP Version 0.19.3. Risk of bias was assessed with the Joanna Briggs Institute tools, and evidence certainty was rated using the GRADE framework.
Results: Eighteen studies (2011-2025) were included, 14 in meta-analyses. The pooled prevalence of alcohol use was 7.4% (95% CI [6.6, 8.5]) with low heterogeneity (I2 = 0%), whereas the pooled prevalence of any drug use in the past 6-12 months was 26.4% (95% CI [16.8, 38.8]) with high heterogeneity (I2 = 95%). Higher prevalence was observed among homeless and displaced adults compared with adolescents and migrants. The overall certainty of evidence was rated as moderate.
Conclusions: Substance use--particularly non-alcohol drugs--is markedly more prevalent among vulnerable populations than in the general population. Social exclusion, homelessness, and forced migration amplify risk and highlight the need for integrated prevention, harm-reduction, and mental-health strategies tailored to these groups. These findings can inform policy design and targeted interventions in humanitarian and low-resource contexts.
期刊介绍：
The Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs began in 1940 as the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol. It was founded by Howard W. Haggard, M.D., director of Yale University’s Laboratory of Applied Physiology. Dr. Haggard was a physiologist studying the effects of alcohol on the body, and he started the Journal as a way to publish the increasing amount of research on alcohol use, abuse, and treatment that emerged from Yale and other institutions in the years following the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. In addition to original research, the Journal also published abstracts summarizing other published documents dealing with alcohol. At Yale, Dr. Haggard built a large team of alcohol researchers within the Laboratory of Applied Physiology—including E.M. Jellinek, who became managing editor of the Journal in 1941. In 1943, to bring together the various alcohol research projects conducted by the Laboratory, Dr. Haggard formed the Section of Studies on Alcohol, which also became home to the Journal and its editorial staff. In 1950, the Section was renamed the Center of Alcohol Studies.
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