Lived experience of male adolescents with a history of substance use: A phenomenological study

The present study aimed to identify the dimensions of the lived experience of male adolescents with a history of substance use. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological method was employed. The study population included male adolescents with substance use experience who were kept in the correctional center of Tehran province in 2021. The sample included 17 individuals, who were selected using a criterion-referenced purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection. Collizi’s seven-step method was utilized to analyze the data. Results of the data analysis led to generation of three core themes: "factors of tendency to substance use" (including two main themes: "transpersonal factors of tendency to substance use" and "personal factors of tendency to substance use"), "factors affecting the amount of consumption" (including the two main themes: "factors of continuation and increase in consumption" and "factors of reduction in consumption") and "consequences of substance use" (including two main themes: "positive consequences of substance use" and "negative consequences of substance use"). In other words, concerning their substance use experience, the research participants mentioned some factors leading them toward drug use. They also mentioned factors affecting maintenance, increase, and decrease in their substance use behavior. In addition, substance use makes adolescents face many traumatic consequences, which highlights the necessity of planning and also preventive and therapeutic measures.