A Review of Two Decades of Research on Studies of the Prevalence of Women's Addiction in Iran (1995-2015)

The main goal of this study was to review research carried out on prevalence of addiction in Iranian women, and examination of how and why they have been attracted to addiction. An absolute majority of research on addiction only report the total number of addicts, and there is no clear reference as to the number of addicted women. This meta-research makes use of library research method, and is based on pertinent theses, research projects, articles, books, and websites on the study of addiction prevalence. Findings in most researches indicate an increase in the number of female addicts. In addition, the most important reasons for women’s inclination to drug use are shown to be personality and psychological factors. The most frequently used substance among women has been Ecstasy. It appears that accurate statistics on the population of female addicts does not exist. Drug abuse is a great threat for women’s health, and can lead to irreparable harms. Although the number of female addicts is still lower compared to that of male ones, the population of female addicts has been recently on the rise. Given the parenting role of women as mothers in family and society, this has to be considered and taken care of more seriously than ever before.