The global frequency of drug misuse has grown in recent years. On a yearly basis, narcotics such as heroin, cocaine, and others kill 200,000 people globally; drug misuse also causes family dissolution. Furthermore, it imposes significant economic and social costs through its impacts on human health as well as increased crime and mortality in the community, making it a big danger to society. Despite huge resources devoted to limiting the spread of drug usage, it is prevalent in the community regardless of people's age, economic condition, level of education, race or ethnicity, or geography. Furthermore, young individuals are the most vulnerable to drug usage.
Iran, as a growing
country, is now undergoing significant economic and cultural changes. Along
with all of these developments, the population is expanding, as is the number
of young people. New studies suggest a significant frequency of addiction and
dangerous behaviour in the Iranian young population, raising concerns. Drug
abuse among adolescents raises the risk of problems related to their well-being
and health, resulting in an increased risk of injury and death from
interpersonal violence, traffic accidents, risky sexual behaviours, unintended
pregnancy, diseases such as acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), and
academic problems. As a result, a survey to discover the
reasons of teenage drug misuse and how to avoid it is critical. According to
preventive research, unfavourable health consequences associated with drug
addiction can be avoided by lowering risk factors and strengthening protective
variables. Adolescent drug addiction prevention necessitates understanding of
features that put youngsters at risk, as well as targeting modifiable risk
factors. Many studies have been conducted in an attempt to identify risk
variables related with teenage drug and alcohol use.
This was cross-sectional
research with 362 university students chosen using self-weighted stratified
random selection at Urmia University of Medical Sciences in Northwest Iran. The
study's goal was to assess the reasons of drug usage among young based on
students' perspectives. A questionnaire was used to collect information. The
descriptive and inferential statistical approaches were used to analyse
research data using the SPSS 19 software tool. The results revealed that the
participants' mean age for both sexes was 20.92 1.8, with a range of 18 - 33.
Individual and familial
variables, as opposed to social, pharmacological, and physiological aspects,
were deemed to be the most relevant reasons of drug usage by the participants.
Students emphasized solutions for emotional tension, loneliness and worry,
curiosity, and fast irritation as useful individual aspects. Some studies have
found a link between individual variables such as sad mood and drug use. The
students also believed that parental drug use and parental conflicts, as family
issues, had a significant influence in encouraging drug consumption among
adolescents. This outcome in the current investigation was verified by the
findings of one study by Velleman et al. Participants stressed the
role of peers (as a social factor) in raising the possibility of drug usage
among kids, in addition to certain individual and familial variables. Brook et AL
studies also found that peer effects have a significant impact in illegal drug
use among South African teenagers, which is consistent with our findings.
To summarize, while
planning educational and counselling interventions to prevent drug misuse in
the population, particularly among adolescents and youths, it is critical to
consider the characteristics indicated above. It is advised that suitable
educational and counselling programs be used to change youngsters'
understanding and attitudes regarding the negative impacts of drug addiction on
their health.
Social Plugin