Psychosocial Predictors of Substance Use Disorder among Young Adults in Raya Azebo, Southern Tigray, Ethiopia
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Date
2026-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
The main purpose of this study was to identify prevalence of substance use disorder
and to assess psychosocial relationship and predictors that determine substance use disorder.
To achieve research objectives the quantitative community based design was employee. 389
completed participants were included in the study, 220 males and 169 females, young adults
were chosen through simple random sampling technique. The tools employed for gathering
data were the substance use disorder 11 items; PCL-5 is a 20-item self-reports question that
assesses the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD and DASS 21 items, peer pressure 10 items,
acceptance 7 items. Descriptive Statistics such as mean, frequency, and percentages, and inferential statistics (ordinal regression and point bi-serial Correlation), were used to analyze the data. Among 389 participants, 47.3% of participants use substance, among them 45.5%, meets the diagnostic criteria of substance use disorder while 1.8% reported that they use substance but
did not meet the diagnostic criteria; therefore, the prevalence of substance use disorder in the
study population was 45.5%. Alcohol was the most commonly used substance in this study
area, and 26.5% of participant reported polysubstance use. Substance use disorder was significantly correlated with peer pressure (rpb = .579, p < .001), depression (rpb = .519, p < .001), anxiety (rpb = .436, p < .001), PTSD (rpb = .330, p < .001), perceived availability of substances (rpb = .322, p < .001), and family substance use (rpb = .317, p < .001). Ordinal logistic regression showed that widowed participants (AOR = 6.11, p = .006), had highest odds of being in a more severe substance use disorder category, followed by respondents with problematic family substance use (AOR = 3.64, p < .001), divorce participants (AOR = 3.31, p < .001), unemployed participants (AOR = 2.52, p = .048), participants with severe depression (AOR = 2.36, p < .001). In addition, participants with moderate anxiety (AOR = 2.11, p = .012), is more likely to be under severe substance use disorder category. Furthermore, higher peer pressure was associated with increased odds of substance use disorder severity (AOR = 1.24, p < .001). In contrast, respondents with educational level between grades 9-12, were less likely to be in a higher substance use disorder The findings imply that psychosocial factors, particularly family substance use, peer pressure, anxiety, and depression, play a significant role in the severity of substance use disorder among young adults in Raya Azebo. This finding indicating the need for integrated prevention and intervention programs that address mental health problems, strengthen family and peer focused prevention strategies, and promote educational engagement or creating awareness on the impacts of substance to reduce the burden of substance use disorder. Keywords: Substance abuse, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Peer pressure, Availability, Family substance use, Acceptance
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Keywords
Substance abuse, Depression, Anxiety, PTSD, Peer pressure, Availability, Family substance use, Acceptance