Factors Effective in Drug Abuse from the Perspective of University Students: Application of Fuzzy Cognitive Maps

This study is an attempt to examine the factors influencing drug use from the perspective of university students through fuzzy cognitive maps.
The number of 20 Master's students in Islamic Azad University of Urmia constituted the participants of this study. They responded to a questionnaire consisting of 30 fuzzy items.
The results of this study showed that the unemployment rate with the outer degree of 1.53 is the most effective variable in other variables. Family member's addiction with the outer degree of 1.08 and deviant peers with the outer degree of 0.70 were the next effective factors in the model. On the other hand, the inner degree index showed that addiction with the inner degree of 7.03 was the factor that was influenced to the greatest extent by the other available factors in the map. In this regard, deviant peers with the inner degree of 1.37 and hope for the future with the inner degree of 0.72 were placed in the second and third in terms of the degree of the effect they received from the other factors. The results also showed that when students are unemployed, they will be more likely to turn to deviant peers to spend leisure time and, consequently, they will be susceptible to be trapped in substance use.
These findings have important implications in regard to the assignment of attention to the factors contributing to drug abuse among students and the development of necessary measures to prevent student's tendency to social problems, especially drug use.