Examining Perceived Social Support, Positive Affection, and Spirituality, as Resilience Factors, Among Boys of Drug-Dependent Fathers

Abstract

Background: Addiction is an anomaly with different clinical, behavioral and cognitive symptoms, in the development of which, social and psychological factors, on one hand, and biological and pharmacological factors, on the other hand, are involved. Objectives: The present study aimed to examine perceived social support, positive affection, and spirituality, as resilience factors, between two groups of drug dependent and nondependent males, who had drug dependent fathers. Methods: This descriptive study had a correlational design. The statistical population included all boys aged 16 to 24 years old, who had drug dependent fathers in Saravan, Iran. The sample constituted of 91 subjects selected through applying the snowball sampling method (31 drug-dependent males (the low resilience group) and 60 nondependent males (the high resilience group)). The measurement tools were the medical outcomes study (MOS) social support scale, the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS), and the spirituality questionnaire (SQ). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used for data analysis. Results: The results indicated that the mean score of perceived social support of the group with high resilience (M = 76.6) was higher than that of the group with low resilience (M = 45.6). Moreover, the mean score of positive affection of the nondependent group (M = 76.8) was higher than that of the drug dependent group (M = 43.8). Additionally, the mean score of spirituality of the nondependent group (M = 98.8) was higher than that of the drug dependent group (M = 77.8). These differences were all statistically significant (P ≤ 0.01). Conclusions: Accordingly, enhancing teenagers’ positive affection, perceived social support, and spirituality by their families or through instructions, could help solve their problems and can increase their resilience.