Predictors of Drug Abuse Relapse for Iranian Addicted Women: An Application of Social Cognitive Theory

Objectives: Substance abuse prevalence has risen over the past decade among women, and accordingly, sex-specific barriers impede women’s access and participation in treatment programs, while the chief issue in providing treatment programs for women with substance abuse is the high relapse rate seen in the subjects. With all these in mind, the present study was conducted with the objective of recognizing the sociocognitive factors that concern the relapse of substance abuse in women. Methods: Two hundred women subjects under treatment in outpatient addiction treatment and rehabilitation centers in Kurdistan province in 2019 participated in this descriptive study. Data were obtained by means of a questionnaire that included demographic questions, history of substance use, and structures of social cognitive theory. Data were analyzed by SPSS software version 21 that further used logistic regression, χ2, and independent t tests. Results: The average age of the respondents was estimated 37.75±10.49. The relapse rate amounted to 80% among the participants. Logistic regression test analysis designated that the structures of situational perception, social support, and self-efficacy act as the factors that predict substance abuse relapses in women (R=0.42; P<0.05). Conclusions: Social cognitive theory is considered a valid theoretical method for deciphering the relation observed between substance abuse relapse predictors in women. Therapists’ consciousness on gaining social support and strengthening self-efficacy in the subjects may serve to improve the aftermaths of substance abuse treatment programs in women.