Family and Environmental Factors of Drug Addiction among Young Recruits

Abstract

Drug addiction in a family results from three factors: (1) effect of pathological families on young people's behavior, (2) easy access to drugs, and (3) influence of groups of people of the same age. In the present study, it was investigated to what extent individual factors related to family and environment affect the extent of drug addiction among recruits. The study included 559 subjects. The results proved direct interdependence between the family condition and the extent of narcomania. Drug addicts came mostly from incomplete and pathological families. The main family factors of drug addiction, according to the results obtained, are family atmosphere, strength of family ties, sense of family happiness, structure of authority in the family, and alcoholism. In families where there is warmth and love, children do not or rarely take drugs. Drug addicts come from families where there is ill will and hostility (p < 0.05). Drug addicts have weaker family ties than do those who do not take drugs (w2 = 0.26, p < 0.05). In families where there was contact with drugs, authority belonged to the mother to a greater degree (54.4%) than to the father (23.6%). In 46.3% of the studied drug addicts' families, alcohol was drunk. The results of the investigations approximate results of other studies conducted among young people in Poland and elsewhere in the world.