Addiction Potential and its Correlates Among Medical Students

Background:Drug dependency can be seen in all occupations, educational levels, and socioeconomic classes, and it is one of the most prevalent psychiatric disorders worldwide. The purpose of this study was to determine the addiction potential status and its correlates among medical students.Methods:In 2019, a total of 500 students were selected randomly from Shahroud University of Medical Sciences and asked to complete Addiction Potential Scale and Attitude to Addiction Questionnaires. Data were analyzed using ANOVA, Chi-square, t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression model at the significant level of 0.05.Results:The mean score of addiction potential was 32.7±17.2. In the majority of the students (62.8%), the addiction potential status was low. Most of the students (66.8%) had used no tobacco or addictive substance. There was a significant relationship between addiction potentialwithgender, marital status, student's current place of residence, student's economic status, student's economic activity, along with education and semester (P≤0.05). In the regression model, 6 predictor factors of the knowledge and awareness of drugs, tendency to use drugs, field of study, history of drug use, alcohol and smoking history had significant relationships with potential addiction (P≤0.05).Conclusion:Given the relationship between potential addiction score and drug use tendency and noting that more than one-third of students had moderate and high drug addiction, more attention to this issue and interventional measures can be effective in reducing the tendency to drug abuse, and control of drug abuse.