ULOGA SOCIJALNO-PSIHOLOŠKIH KONSTRUKATA U OBJAŠNJENJU POJAVE ZAVISNOSTI O DROGAMA
THE ROLE OF SOCIO-PSYCHOLOGICAL CONSTRUCTS IN EXPLANATION OF DRUG ADDICTION PHENOMENA

Summary/Abstract: Until recently, the problem of drug addiction was considered a medical condition of the individual. Social and psychological factors as possible causes and explanations of drugs addiction phenomenon were unjustly marginalized and considered as the consequences of drugs abuse. The aim of this study is to evaluate the relevancy of different socio-psychological constructs in explanation of drug addiction phenomena. Social-psychological constructs in this study implied shaped pattern of behavior resulting from social learning in the given framework of socialization processes, and were related to: self-rejection experience, learned helplessness, communication between young parents, and atmosphere in family, loneliness and meaning of life experience. Two studies were conducted on appropriate samples of young people who have no previous experience with drugs (N1 = 393; N2 = 699) and young drug addicts (N1 = 131; N2 = 232). Used scales for testing the above socio-psychological constructs have satisfactory psychometric characteristics, reliability of .83 to .95. Application of descriptive aspect of discriminant analysis shows that the examined social-psychological constructs, taken together, can be important predictors of youth experiences with drugs. Obtained coefficients of canonical correlation, significant at p <.001, shows that between 43% and 50% of the variance result can be explained by the tested variables. Results are pointing to the conclusion that the conditions of socialization generate social and psychological phenomena, consequently to which individual-young, cognitively immature person, can reach for drugs as a way to adapt to life’s negative circumstances. Theoretical framework of research results has been found in a wide range of social-psychological theories.

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