Investigating the antecedents and intra-individual factors underlying addiction in drug abusers in Tabriz city

Subject Areas : Psychology

Touraj Hashemi ¹ , Elham Taghizadeh Jeddikar ² , Naimeh Moheb ³

1 - Department of Psychology, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran
2 - 1Ph. D. Student , Psychology, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran
3 - Assistant Professor Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Tabriz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran

Received: 2023-10-31 Published : 2024-08-07

Keywords: Qualitative research on addiction, Personality, Psychological vulnerability, Behavioral incompetence and inefficiency,

Abstract :

Addiction and substance abuse is the major concerns of health systems in all countries. Studies on the role of social, family, and personal factors of addiction, especially in adults, is limited. Therefore, this study was conducted with a qualitative method, aimed to determine individual and personality factors in the development and continuation of addiction from the point of view of addicted people in Tabriz city. This study was conducted with a qualitative method based on phenomenology. The study population included all people who referred to counseling centers and addiction treatment clinics in Tabriz city in 2021. Using purposeful sampling, 17 subjects were selected and interviewed by semi-structured interviews. After conducting the interviews, using Strauss and Corbin's coding method, and open, central and selective coding was done. From 265 primary codes, 37 open codes, 6 central codes and 2 selective codes were extracted. The central codes were: Feeling helpless, novelty-seeking, avoiding responsibility, lack of individual independence, acceptance and submission, and weakness of personal skills, and the selective codes were: personal and psychological vulnerability and behavioral incompetence and inefficiency. Individual and personality factors in the development and continuation of addiction are influenced by the developmental processes in the early years of life, therefore in order to prevent individual and psychological vulnerabilities that are the basis of addiction, it is necessary to pay special attention to the improvement of developmental settings in the early stages of psycho-social development.