Role of Education in Indulgence of Substance Abuse Behaviour in Adults

Description

Ritu Sharma and Ramya Kathuria (Department of Psychology, Aditi Mahavidyalaya, University of Delhi, Delhi)

Education levels significantly influence substance abuse. Students’ dropouts at high and elementary educational levels exhibit heightened vulnerability towards substance abuse. This study attempts to understand the impact of the educational level as a psychosocial factor that may predict the possibility of drug abuse in people. The objective of the study is to assess the level of education in the consumption behavior of substance abuse. The study included participants aged 18 and above, 200 participants, who are consuming one or other kind of substance, were selected by purposive sampling from rural and urban areas of Delhi and NCR. DAST-20 and Assessment of Psychosocial Factors of Substance Abuse (ASPFSA), a tailor-made test was used to assess the psycho-social predictors to collect data. Alcohol was the most commonly used substance in this study (21.6%), followed by smoking-based substances (21.1%). Opioids (3%) and amphetamine-type stimulants (0.5%) were less prevalent compared to alcohol and smoking-based substances. A t-test analysis identified media exposure, childhood trauma, and other psycho-social factors as significant predictors of substance use. These results highlight the need for targeted interventions addressing these risk factors to reduce substance use across diverse educational backgrounds.