Home Environment and Peer Relations of Addicted and Nonaddicted University Students

Abstract

This study was designed to examine the differences between addicted and nonaddicted university students on measures of home environment and peer relations. Participants were 45 addicts and 45 nonaddicts with mean ages of 23 years drawn from three Pakistani universities located in Islamabad, Lahore, and Peshawar. The two groups were matched for age, gender, education, area of residence, and marital status. A booklet containing an Index of Family Relations and a Peer Relations Questionnaire was administered. Results showed that the addicts perceived more stress in their families than the non-addicts did. Family income of the addicts was greater than that of the nonaddicts. Addicts were under greater peer influence and had more deviant and drug-using friends than the nonaddicts.

Social Influence on Adolescent Polysubstance Use: The Escalation to Opioid Use

“…The results presented here support previously published findings that indicate peer substance use is a strong predictor of future use (Aziz & Shah, 1995;Cruz, Emery, & Turkheimer, 2012;Eitle, 2005;Hussong, 2002;Nakhaee & Jadidi, 2009;Pollard et al, 2010;Tang & Orwin, 2009;Vervaeke, et al 2008), as increased exposure to substance using peers leads to greater likelihood of initiation of use and greater use durations and frequency. No significant findings emerged when considering family history of substance use, likely due to sample homogeneity-all but three participants had drug-using family members.…”