Prevalence, risk and protective factors for substance abuse among homeless males living in Tehran

Abstract

ABSTRACTBackground: Substance use is significantly more prevalent among the homeless, compared to the general population. However, the risk and protective factors for substance abuse among homeless population have not been well defined. Objectives: We examined risk and protective factors for substance abuse among homeless in Tehran. Methods: A total of 193 homeless people from Tehran were interviewed during the autumn 2015 about substance and alcohol use and other social factors associated with drug use disorders. A binary logistic regression model was used to examine the relationship between substance abuse and a set of predictive variables. Results: Prevalence of drug abuse was 61.14% (95% CI: 55.20, 68.8). The most frequent used drugs were recognized to be: heroin, methamphetamine, and opium with prevalence rates of 51.54%, 36.08%, and 16.49%, respectively. Having a stronger social network and being married were of protective factors, while smoking and having history of incarceration turned out to be the risk factors for substance abuse among Iranian homeless people. Conclusion: Results suggested that risk and protective factors may be substantial mechanisms by which to improve substance abuse consequences and apply better contextualize prevention as well as planning early intervention policies for the homeless men.