HIGH RISK BEHAVIORS AND PATTERN OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE AMONG ADDICTED WOMEN

Background and Aim : : Drug addiction is one of the most common social problems, in which substance abuse among women has a serious consequence such as neglected, addicted generation, violence, joint infusion, unprotected sexual behavior, and so on. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the high-risk behaviors and addictive substance abuse status of addicted women in Hamadan addiction treatment centers.Methods : : This cross-sectional study was conducted among 120 addicted women referring to the Addiction Treatment Centers in Hamadan, west of Iran. All standard data collection tools consisted of three questionnaires: demographic variables, pattern of substance abuse, and high-risk behaviors. Data were analyzed using SPSS-16 via one way ANOVA and chi-square tests.Results : According to the results of this study, the most commonly abused during their lifetime used by the participants was methamphetamine (53.3%), methadone (20.8%), and heroin (12.5%), respectively. The high-risk behaviors of women with substance abuse in Hamadan addiction centers showed an undesirable situation among addicted women in Hamadan. Also, the substance abuse with all dimensions of high-risk behaviors (high risk sexual behaviors, tools and high risk behaviors, violence, consumption of different types of substances) showed a positive and significant correlation at the level of 0.01. Conclusion : According to the results, the high-risk behaviors of the participants were found to be at an unsatisfactory level. Drug prevention training such as methamphetamine, methadone and heroin, and nationwide annual surveys on the causes of addiction and high-risk behaviors due to the multiple and complex nature of addiction are necessary periodically. Therefore, more attention to the implementation of such school-based interventions is recommended for maximum effectiveness.

کلیدواژه ها:

Substance Abuse ، Sexual Behaviors ، Women