Awareness of Addictive Behaviors and Substance Use Among Healthcare Students in Syrian Universities: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background:  The protracted Syrian conflict has precipitated a systematic collapse of healthcare infrastructure and a 300% surge in regional substance consumption 1, 4.  
Methods:  This analysis synthesizes cross-sectional data from multiple Syrian healthcare student cohorts, including a primary sample of 2,014 undergraduate medical students and secondary assessments of behavioral addictions 17, 20, 21.  
Results:  Regular cigarette smoking increases from 3.3% in the first year to 10.4% by the fifth year, while waterpipe tobacco smoking (WTS) reaches a 27.5% prevalence among clinical-year students 16. Self-medication is practiced by 66.8% of students, with 75.2% misusing antibiotics, and behavioral addictions such as smartphone addiction (62.5%) and problematic internet use (89%) are highly prevalent 17, 20, 21.  
Conclusion:  The high rates of substance use and comorbid burnout (73%) necessitate immediate curricular reform, including the integration of standardized addiction medicine competencies and non-stigmatizing support models 13, 15.