Journal of Torbat Heydariyeh University of Medical Sciences

Background: Lack of life skills can lead the person toward incompetency in educational attainment, psychological trauma and in extreme cases contribute to promoting drug abuse and other high risk behaviors. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between life skills and vulnerability to drug abuse among university students.

Materials and Methods: In this descriptive correlative study, 350 students of Torbat-e-Heydarie Payam-e-Noor University at educational year of 2011 were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. life skills (Golzari, 2007) and vulnerability to drug abuse (Najafi & Bigdeli, 2008) questionnaires were used as data collection tool. Pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis with SPSS 16 used for data analysis.

Results: There was a significant negative correlation between the students score on life skills and vulnerability to drug abuse (P<0/01). In other words the higher the score of the subject in life skills, the lower the student’s vulnerability to drug abuse and vice versa. Among ten number of life skills high scores of stress management, creative thinking and effective communication skills had a  significant role in reducing vulnerability to drug abuse.

Conclusion: With improving life skills and hence increasing the ability to overcome, one can promote self-reliance and self-respect and this phenomenon in turn can significantly reduce the inclination to drug abuse. A low level life skill reduces the person’s ability to properly deal with challenges and difficulties in life and cause the person to act irrationally and emotionally in response to provocations and unaccustomed situations. Moreover, a lack of life skills can lead to academic failure, psychological trauma and in extreme cases contribute to promoting drug abuse and other high risk behaviors.