A Sociological Explanation of Family and Educational Factors Influencing Young People’s Tendency toward Drug Abuse in Golestan Province
Keywords:
Substance Abuse, Family Factors, Social Control Theory, Differential Association Theory, Relapse, Golestan ProvinceAbstract
Purpose: This study aimed to provide a sociological explanation of the roles of family and educational–school factors in young people’s tendency toward drug abuse and their subsequent relapse in Golestan Province.
Methodology: This applied study employed a descriptive, ex post facto, causal-comparative design. The statistical population comprised 2,961 individuals with drug abuse problems attending 156 officially registered residential rehabilitation and outpatient treatment centers supervised by the Golestan Province Welfare Organization in 2025. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan sampling table, 350 participants were selected through multistage sampling from Gorgan, Gonbad-e Kavus, Aliabad-e Katul, Azadshahr, and Bandar-e Gaz. Data were collected using a researcher-developed questionnaire and analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, independent-samples t tests, chi-square tests, and factor analysis.
Findings: The overall family-factor index was directly and significantly associated with the tendency toward drug abuse (r = 0.412, p < 0.001). School-related factors also showed a direct and significant association with drug abuse tendency (r = 0.326, p = 0.001). Participants with a drug-dependent family member experienced a significantly shorter period before relapse (t = 5.098, p < 0.001). Having drug-using friends similarly reduced the time to relapse (t = 2.968, p = 0.005). Substance type was significantly associated with relapse time, with traditional-drug users returning to consumption more rapidly than industrial-drug users (t = 7.011, p < 0.001). Duration of drug use was positively associated with the number of admissions to treatment centers (r = 0.405, p < 0.001). Significant gender differences were also found in the method of drug administration and sources of drug acquisition (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Weak family attachment, inadequate parental supervision and support, deficiencies in schools’ preventive functions, and association with drug-using peers are major determinants of drug abuse and relapse among young people. Effective prevention therefore requires coordinated family-based, school-based, and community-based interventions.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Razieh Hamedi (Author); Mohammad Reza Naeimi; Alireza Esmaeili (Author)
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