Association of knowledge and attitudes with practices of misuse of tranquilizers: A cohort study in Spain

Validation of the Arabic and French Versions of a Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) Questionnaire on Tranquilizer Misuse

Tranquilizer misuse is an emerging international public health concern. The psychosocial determinants of this misuse remain understudied. Instruments to measure the Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices (KAP) of tranquilizer misuse are unavailable, except for a recently published questionnaire validated in the Spanish language. We translated the KAP questionnaire into Arabic and French, adapted it and undertook a complete validation procedure in the general adult population in Lebanon. The content validity indicators were good: item content validity index ranged between 0.89 and 1.00, the content validity index scale average was ≥0.95 and the modified Kappa statistic for each of the KAP items was equal to I-CVI. The intra-class correlation coefficient values (n = 100) were ≥0.62 for all Knowledge and Attitudes items, demonstrating the item reliability. Confirmatory factorial analysis (n = 1450) showed that the selected model of Knowledge and Attitude constructs has adequate fit indicators and encompassed three factors that showed acceptable internal reliability: Knowledge (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.72), personal Attitudes towards tranquilizers (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.79) and Attitudes towards healthcare providers (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.65). The Arabic/French questionnaire was highly accepted, with a response rate of 95.72% and item non-response rate ≤3.6%. The availability of a cross-cultural adapted and multilingual validated questionnaire would stimulate research on tranquilizer misuse.

Comparison of Longitudinal and Cross-Sectional Approaches in Studies on Knowledge, Attitude and Practices Related to Non-Medical Tranquilizer Use

Research about the association of knowledge and attitudes with practices (KAP) of non-medical tranquilizer use is scarce. We compared findings from cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches in a KAP-based study on non-medical tranquilizer use in Spain using data collected from the same population. Eight-hundred forty-seven participants completed a validated KAP questionnaire at baseline and were then followed-up bimonthly for one year for episodes of non-medical tranquilizer use. Non-medical use was defined as unprescribed use, non-adherence to treatment, storage/sharing of tranquilizers, or a combination of those practices. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated using logistic regression from cross-sectional data and generalized linear mixed models for repeated measures in the longitudinal approach. Only the longitudinal approach showed that limited knowledge about the effect of tranquilizers on behaviour [OR: 3.24 (95% CI: 1.12–9.38)] and about the negative effect of their excessive consumption [OR: 4.12 (95% CI: 1.5–11.33)] is associated with storing/sharing tranquilizers. Both cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses indicated that personal attitudes towards tranquilizers and attitudes towards healthcare providers are associated with non-medical tranquilizer use, yet with different magnitude of associations. Differences between the two approaches were also observed for individual types of non-medical use. Certain discrepancies exist between findings from longitudinal and cross-sectional approaches on KAP of non-medical tranquilizer use. KAP studies are the backbone for designing and evaluating prevention programs on non-medical tranquilizer use, and hence choosing a proper study design, scrutinizing the associated biases, and carefully interpreting findings from those studies are required.