Predictors of addictive drugs abuse intention based on the theory ofplanned behavior in couples referred to premarital counseling center in East Ahvaz Health Center in 2020

The theory of planned behavior is known to be themost useful theory for better understanding of the predictors of drug abuse. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors predicting the intention to drugs abuse based on the theory of planned behavior in couples referring to the premarital counseling center in East Ahvaz Health Center in 2019.

This cross-sectional analytical study based on correlational assessment was conducted on among all couples who referred to the counseling center. Totally, 360 couples were randomly selected from the couples' file number. The data collection tool was a questionnaire including drug use and the theory of planned behavior. In order to analyze the data, descriptive statistics and inferential tests such as multiple regression and logistic were used in SPSS version 16. A significance level of 0.05 was also considered. At all stages, ethical considerations were considered.

There observed a significant difference between the average constructs of the theory of planned behavior and demographic variables (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant relationship between behavioral intention and demographic variables of the participants (p>0.05). The results of regression analysis showed that perceived behavioral control and subjective norms together predict approximately 37% of changes in behavioral intention.

The theory of planned behavior is a suitable predictor for drugs abuse. It is suggested to use this theory in educational programs of different levels of drug abuse prevention