The Moderating Role of Coping Self-Efficacy in the Relationship between Adolescent Stress and the Tendency to Substance Use in Students

The present study aimed to investigate the moderating role of coping self-efficacy in the relationship between adolescent stress and the tendency to use substances among students.

This research was descriptive and correlational. The research population included the students of Khorram Abad city in the academic year 2023-2024, of whom 318 individuals were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. Data collection tools included the adolescent stress scale, the Iranian adolescent risk-taking scale, and the coping self-efficacy scale. Pearson's correlation and hierarchical regression were used to analyze the data.

The results indicated a significant relationship between adolescent stress and the tendency to use substances among students. In addition, coping self-efficacy moderated the relationship between adolescent stress and students' tendency to use substances.

Based on the results, it can be concluded that the rise in adolescent stress plays a significant role in the inclination of most students to use substances. Therefore, high coping self-efficacy mitigates this impact, while low coping self-efficacy exacerbates it.