Studying the Lived Experience of Young People with Substance Use Disorder in the City of Bojnourd to Achieve an Explanatory Model

The current research aimed to discover and investigate the factors affecting substance use disorder based on lived experience among the youth people of the city of Bojnourd to achieve an explanatory model.

The method of this research was qualitative and of grounded theory type. The statistical population of the current research included the individuals present in residential and treatment centers of the city of Bojnourd, and 33 people (men=20 and women=13) of them were selected by non-probability (purposive) sampling method. The data collection tool was an in-depth and semi-structured interview.

The results showed that the factors affecting substance use disorder were identified in 5 main categories, including individual, family, social, cultural, and economic factors. Individual factors included 7 sub-categories of hedonism, curiosity, the illusion of increasing power, lack of awareness of the effects of the substance, freedom from physical and mental pains, achieving fleeting peace and escaping from problems, and lack of life skills. Family factors had 5 sub-categories of unhealthy family, collapse and divorce, family problems and tensions, lack of supervision in the family, low social capital in the family, and emotional difference. Social factors consisted of 4 sub-categories of the unsuitable circle of friends, place of living, reduction of social interactions, interaction with substance-dependent individuals, and negative social capital. Cultural factors included 3 sub-categories of normality of consumption, low cultural capital and lack of free time, and low religiosity. Finally, economic factors involved 3 sub-categories of poverty and homelessness, child labor, fatigue, and long working hours. The theoretical model was presented based on these categories.

By identifying the factors affecting substance use disorder and prioritizing the degree of influence of these factors, it is possible to prevent the young people’s substance dependence with appropriate measures and planning.