A Qualitative Study of Causes and Contexts of Substance Use Disorder among Students in the City of Tabriz

The present research aimed to study the causes and contexts of substance use disorder among the students in the city of Tabriz.

The method of this research was qualitative and of grounded theory type. The statistical population of this research included specialists in the fields of psychology, sociology and social pathology, and school counselors, 35 of whom were selected by purposive sampling method. The data collection tool was an in-depth and semi-structured interview. Simultaneously with the data collection, coding and analyzing were performed in three stages of open, axial, and selective coding.

The results showed that the interaction of structural factors and activism (the effectiveness of virtual space, weak social capital, transformation of lifestyle, and a sense of curiosity) were causal conditions; the category of policy-making obstacles with the sub-categories of the effect of the educational system and the lack of vitality and happiness platforms were background conditions; the categories of lifestyle based on means of communication (lack of programs with the young in the media and the impact of technology) were intervening conditions; and the categories of social acceptance (intimate family relations) and improvement of school performance (improvement of school social order) were consequences of substance use disorder.

The analysis of participants' interviews introduces the establishment of life and social skills (improving family social capital and teaching life skills) and society-based prevention (community-oriented prevention and growth-oriented prevention) as strategies to prevent substance use disorder in students. The essential theory resulting from the experts' interviews is prevention based on alternative methods together with the family.