Predictors of attitude toward substance users: a field study in Turkey

ABSTRACT

Objectives

We determine the factors related to the attitudes toward substance users and how these factors predict attitudes.

Methods

The research was a field study. The control variables were gender and occupation. Health workers, teachers, prison guards, shopkeepers, university students, bartenders, and professional athletes were chosen by lottery method of simple random sampling. 350 people were reached. Fagerström Nicotine Dependence Test, Addiction Profile Index Risk Scanning Scale-Alcohol, and Addictive Material Attitude Scale were used. T-test, ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc test, analysis of effect size, and linear regression model were used.

Results

Gender (1%), marital status (2%), residence (4%), occupation (9%), NUD (2%), risky alcohol use (12%), having people with AUD in the social circle (1%), having a substance user in the social circle (20%), being in a substance use environment (16%); neighborhood characteristics as crime (9%), drug use (5%), illicit drug selling (7%) were found predictors of the attitude.

Conclusions

Demographical factors like being single, being a bartender, living with friends; substance-related risk factors; neighborhood characteristics like high crime, substance use, and illicit drug selling were predictors of positive attitude. Identifying the factors explaining the positive attitude will guide the determination of prevention and protection programs for society.

KEYWORDS:

• Substance use
• Attıtude
• Socıety
• Occupatıon
• Neıghborhood

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.