Individual differences as predictors of illicit drug use among Turkish college students

Although the prevalence of drug use in the young adult population in Turkey is still far below the figures reported for most European Union countries and the United States, there seems to be a noteworthy increase in drug use, especially among high school and college students. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent of drug use among college students in Turkey and to identify some of the individual-difference variables associated with drug use. Participants were 781 college students. A survey package including (a) measures of sensation seeking-risk taking, self-esteem, affectivity level, global mental health, overall life satisfaction, and the rate and nature of substance use and (b) demographic questions was administered to the participants during regularly held class meetings. A logistic regression analysis revealed that sensation seeking-risk taking, parental education level, smoking, and frequency of alcohol use predicted illicit drug experience. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed using the context of the study as a framework.     

Individual Differences as Predictors of Illicit Drug Use Among Turkish College Students

ABSTRACT

Although the prevalence of drug use in the young adult population in Turkey is still far below the figures reported for most European Union countries and the United States, there seems to be a noteworthy increase in drug use, especially among high school and college students. The purpose of the present study was to examine the extent of drug use among college students in Turkey and to identify some of the individual-difference variables associated with drug use. Participants were 781 college students. A survey package including (a) measures of sensation seeking–risk taking, self-esteem, affectivity level, global mental health, overall life satisfaction, and the rate and nature of substance use and (b) demographic questions was administered to the participants during regularly held class meetings. A logistic regression analysis revealed that sensation seeking?risk taking, parental education level, smoking, and frequency of alcohol use predicted illicit drug experience. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study are discussed using the context of the study as a framework.     

Factors Associated with Posttraumatic Growth Among Myocardial Infarction Patients: Perceived Social Support,Perception of the Event and Coping

Posttraumatic Growth (PTG) is accepted as positive transformations that are a product of struggling with significant stressors such as chronic illness. A model, conceptualized by Schaefer and Moos (Posttraumatic growth: Positive changes in the aftermath of crisis, pp 99–126, 1998), suggests a relative contribution of environmental and individual resources, perception of the event (PE) and coping in the development of PTG. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of perceived social support (PSS), PE and coping on PTG. This model was tested in a sample of patients with myocardial infarction (MIP, N = 148) from various hospitals in Turkey. The structural equation analysis of the model revealed that PSS was significantly related to PTG through the effect of coping. While coping was significantly and directly related to PTG, PE was not. The findings are discussed in the context of the theoretical model with suggestions for future research.