Adolescent drug addiction in Ukraine: medical, social and psychological aspects

Abstract

The urgency of the problem is determined by the danger of drug addiction among Ukrainian adolescents, the lack of attention paid by parents to the study of this problem, and the lack of proper attention to this issue in most Ukrainian schools. Research in this area is driven by the need to identify the main social and psychological aspects that motivate adolescents to use drugs, in order to create conditions in society that prevent the spread of drugs among the youngest populations. Aim of the work is to determine the dominant psychological and social factors that motivate adolescents to start using drugs. Material and Methods. Analytical and logical research methods, systematic and comparative analysis were used to comprehensively consider and describe the factors that motivate adolescents to use drugs, despite the danger to their health and life. Results and Discussions. A high degree of risk of adolescent drug addiction has been established, which is accompanied by a significant decrease in the average age of adolescents taking drugs for the first time. The issues of social and psychological aspects of adolescent drug addiction, problems of relations in society and families, where adolescents start using drugs are considered. The types of family relations and the nature of intra-family relations, in which adolescent drug use begins, were studied. The main social and psychological factors that push modern youth to take drugs have been identified. Conclusions. Adolescent drug addiction in Ukraine remains a serious problem that requires proper attention and assessment by modern society. Effective measures to combat the dangerous phenomenon are: introduction of a system of preventive talks to explain the nature of drug addiction and the dangerous consequences of drug use for life and health; joining student youth to sports and a healthy lifestyle by reviving the system of intra-school, district, regional competitions in various sports; transformation of adolescents' consciousness towards their own development as opposed to the prospect of their drug degradation. Key Words: family relations, teenager, social environment, drugs, psychology of relations, family.