Adolescent Substance Abuse and Family Environment: A Qualitative Study

Substance abuse has always been one of the major health concerns in Iran. Substance abuse during adolescence has a range of negative consequences for the individual. Earlier studies in Iran mainly focus on the epidemiology of substance abuse among adolescents and few studies have focused on its underlying factors. This study was aimed to explain the family factors underlying the development of a tendency for substance abuse among adolescents. This is a qualitative study, and the conventional content analysis method was used. The participants consisted of 12 people who were selected using purposeful sampling method. They were the adolescents in Tehran Province Youth Detention Center in Iran with previous or current experience of substance abuse in the age range of 15 - 19 years old. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Four themes were obtained based on the research goal: Paternal role, maternal role, discipline methods, and family function. The paternal role consisted of three categories of insufficient paternity, passive paternity, and lack of paternity. The maternal role was comprised of incompetent maternity, and lack of maternity. The discipline methods were composed of three categories of punitive discipline, enhancing affection, and inadequate supervision. Finally, the family function referred to a blaming and unsupportive family. Substance abuse prevention programs for vulnerable teenagers will have better outcomes by involving their parents, particularly their fathers. Also, it seems the mental health and addiction policymakers need to prioritizing family education as one of the most important substance abuse prevention strategies in vulnerable adolescents.