Abstract

Today, drug use by teenagers is a major social problem. The evidence suggest that there is an association between individuals` life skills and their reduced inclination to use drugs. Therefore, the present study examines the effect of psycho-social empowerment programs on the attitudes of Iranian students towards drugs and the rate of drug use in students. Material and Methods:  This study is a quasi-experimental study which is conducted on 380 students at the age range of 14-16 years who are living in Malard (Iran) during 2014-2015. The samples are chosen using cluster random sampling. After offering 11 sessions of teaching psycho-social empowerment program during 70 days, the effect of training on variables such as attitudes towards drug use and drug use rate are investigated. Data analysis is done through covariance test. Results: Data analysis results suggest that the scores of the test group regarding negative attitudes toward drugs was significantly (p<0.05) more than that of control group. Moreover, the training course had a significant effect on the rate of drug use by Iranian students (f=20.94, p<0.01). Discussion: According to the findings, psycho-social empowerment programs could increase the negative attitudes of students towards drug use, and decrease the drug use rate. Therefore, this program can be used as an effective method in increasing the performance of adolescents and preventing the tendency and rate of drug use at schools.