Correlation between enhancing stresses and trends of self-medication among young girls in Chandigarh

Chandigarh, a U.T., is an educational hub in North India having all types of professional and non-professional institutions invites recurring gush of students from all its adjoining states and countries. The city with its two satellite towns hosts many universities, more than two dozen of colleges and numerous other training institutions. The city has witnessed an exponential growth of native and migrant female’s population in the past 2-3 decades. Majority of these female have been found to be the first generation migrants from their native places. This fair sex population was found subjected to multi-factorial distresses which manifest in the form of varied types of health issues that push them to get trapped in the vicious cycle of self-medication.
The present study was an outcome of personal interactions, group interactions and collection of data through questionnaires from 150 young females comprising of undergraduate and postgraduate students and young employees (50 each). The results were presented in the form of percentages within their respective group and amongst total respondents. The study revealed the prevalence of maximum distress (>85%) amongst young professionals or early age employees followed by final year P.G. students (>60%) and UG students (>50%). Prevalence of self-medication has also been found in parallel lines with the stress levels of the respondents. [Professionals (82.6%) > P.G. (69.7%) >UG (42.8%)]. The most commonly used drugs by them were belonging to various categories like analgesic, antipyretics, antibiotics, weight reduction formulations, dermatological applications, anti-anxiety drugs etc. The results projected that such an indiscriminate use of these drugs is a matter of social, medical and economic concerns. Present study also purposes some of the suggestive measures to check this menace.