Determinants of drug abuse in high school students and their related knowledge and attitude

Introduction:The aim of the current study is to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of high school students toward addicting drugs. Thus, the interventions, which are more appropriate for this age group can be designed and applied.

Methods:This cross-sectional study was carried out in 2009 in Isfahan province. The study population was high school students, who were randomly selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. The evaluation tool was an author-devised questionnaire, which was filled out by the students. The data obtained was analyzed using SPSS software, version 16.

Findings:Among 6998 students who filled out the questionnaire, 50.1% were female. The mean knowledge scores were 58.7 +/- 10.3 and 57.9 +/- 10.2 for girls and boys, respectively, which were significantly different (p = 0.002). Considering the scores students obtained in attitude toward inclination to drug abuse, the most important factors in this regard were parents' divorce, familial conflicts, seeking pleasure, adolescents' curiosity, availability of the drugs, peer pressure, low levels of self-confidence, psychological disorders, and strict parents.

Conclusion:With respect to the results obtained, promoting the knowledge and modifying the attitude of students, and increasing their self-confidence particularly in schools can play an important role in decreasing drug abuse in this age group. Moreover, policymakers should consider the strategies, which can support the family structure and reduce the harms in unstable families.