Introduction and aim: International and national studies indicate that analgesic use is common among adolescents. Research projects on this issue in Poland to date have been conducted among youth attending mainstream schools. However, data on the analgesic use among adolescents attending special education institutions, i.e. youth sociotherapy centres (młodzieżowe ośrodki socjoterapii, MOS) and youth correctional centres (młodzieżowe ośrodki wychowawcze, MOW) is missing. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of analgesic use among youth attending special education centres. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in 2018 among youth aged 12–19 years from randomly selected MOS/MOW facilities in Poland (N = 1,730). Data was collected with a self-administered questionnaire. A chi-square test was used to assess differences in analgesic consumption rate by gender and facility type. Results: Approximately 60% and 44.5% of study participants used analgesics for headache and stomach-ache, respectively, at least 1–2 times in the past month. Girls are significantly more likely than boys to use medications for headache and stomach-ache. The analgesic consumption rate among MOS/MOW youth is higher than among adolescents attending mainstream schools. Conclusions: Due to the risk associated with medicine use preventive measures addressing youth should include activities aimed at improving knowledge and skills regarding safe medication use. A history of analgesic use by an adolescent should be part of a family doctor’s routine interview.

analgesics, prevalence, youth at risk, youth sociotherapy centres, youth correctional centres