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Use of Stimulant Substances Among University Students in Tehran: a Qualitative Study

Objective: There is evidence to show an increase in use of stimulant substances among university students. This study is a qualitative assessment of the existing situation and the underlying reasons for stimulant use among the students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2006. Methods: Three...

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Autores principales: Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin, Khastoo, Golara, Moinolghorabaei, Mahdieh, Yunesian, Masud, Sadeghi, Ahmad-Reza
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences 2011
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3939960/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24644445
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author Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin
Khastoo, Golara
Moinolghorabaei, Mahdieh
Yunesian, Masud
Sadeghi, Ahmad-Reza
author_facet Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin
Khastoo, Golara
Moinolghorabaei, Mahdieh
Yunesian, Masud
Sadeghi, Ahmad-Reza
author_sort Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin
collection PubMed
description Objective: There is evidence to show an increase in use of stimulant substances among university students. This study is a qualitative assessment of the existing situation and the underlying reasons for stimulant use among the students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2006. Methods: Three qualitative methods have been used: focus group discussions with 7 groups (60 individuals) consisting of male and female students in the dormitories and in the university environment, in-depth interview with 20 drug user students, and interview with 20 key informants including counselors, managers and guards of dormitories, staff of the office for Culture and Welfare Affairs of students and members of students' organizations. Purposeful or opportunistic method was used for sampling. Results: Ecstasy and methylphenidate (Ritalin) were mentioned as the stimulants used by the students. The main declared reasons for ecstasy use were desire to have fun and excitement, desire to modernity, participation in parties, curiosity and living without family. The high expense of ecstasy pills and the training provided by media were mentioned as the main protective factors. Most respondents believed that use of methylphenidate was more prevalent than ecstasy use. In contrary to the drugs used for fun and enjoyment, methylphenidate is used for increasing learning abilities and academic achievement. Other pointed- out factors were ease of use and being stigma-free. Conclusion Increasing risk perception via training, social alternatives to risky activities and parental training for continuing care and advice in the college period are recommended.
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spelling pubmed-39399602014-03-18 Use of Stimulant Substances Among University Students in Tehran: a Qualitative Study Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin Khastoo, Golara Moinolghorabaei, Mahdieh Yunesian, Masud Sadeghi, Ahmad-Reza Iran J Psychiatry Behav Sci Original Article Objective: There is evidence to show an increase in use of stimulant substances among university students. This study is a qualitative assessment of the existing situation and the underlying reasons for stimulant use among the students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2006. Methods: Three qualitative methods have been used: focus group discussions with 7 groups (60 individuals) consisting of male and female students in the dormitories and in the university environment, in-depth interview with 20 drug user students, and interview with 20 key informants including counselors, managers and guards of dormitories, staff of the office for Culture and Welfare Affairs of students and members of students' organizations. Purposeful or opportunistic method was used for sampling. Results: Ecstasy and methylphenidate (Ritalin) were mentioned as the stimulants used by the students. The main declared reasons for ecstasy use were desire to have fun and excitement, desire to modernity, participation in parties, curiosity and living without family. The high expense of ecstasy pills and the training provided by media were mentioned as the main protective factors. Most respondents believed that use of methylphenidate was more prevalent than ecstasy use. In contrary to the drugs used for fun and enjoyment, methylphenidate is used for increasing learning abilities and academic achievement. Other pointed- out factors were ease of use and being stigma-free. Conclusion Increasing risk perception via training, social alternatives to risky activities and parental training for continuing care and advice in the college period are recommended. Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences 2011 /pmc/articles/PMC3939960/ /pubmed/24644445 Text en © 2011, Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/) which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
spellingShingle Original Article
Rahimi-Movaghar, Afarin
Khastoo, Golara
Moinolghorabaei, Mahdieh
Yunesian, Masud
Sadeghi, Ahmad-Reza
Use of Stimulant Substances Among University Students in Tehran: a Qualitative Study
title Use of Stimulant Substances Among University Students in Tehran: a Qualitative Study
title_full Use of Stimulant Substances Among University Students in Tehran: a Qualitative Study
title_fullStr Use of Stimulant Substances Among University Students in Tehran: a Qualitative Study
title_full_unstemmed Use of Stimulant Substances Among University Students in Tehran: a Qualitative Study
title_short Use of Stimulant Substances Among University Students in Tehran: a Qualitative Study
title_sort use of stimulant substances among university students in tehran: a qualitative study
topic Original Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3939960/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24644445
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