The Comparison of Cultural and Religious Attitudes and Psychoactive Drug Use Characteristics of University Students from Türkiye and Cyprus
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35365/cjhs.26.1.03Keywords:
Substance use, Cultural attitudes, Religious attitudes, University studentsAbstract
Biological, social, and psychological factors, as well as cultural and religious influences, are known risk factors for substance use.This study aims to examine the differences in cultural and religious attitudes towards substance use among university students born in Cyprus and Türkiye. This study evaluated a total of 206 university students, 50 born in Cyprus and 156 born in Turkey, studying in Northern Cyprus, by applying a socio-demographic form, a cultural attitudes scale, and a religious attitudes scale. This study demonstrates a relationship between substance use and cultural and religious attitudes among university students. While no relationship was observed between tobacco use and cultural and religious attitudes, a relationship was observed between alcohol and other psychoactive substance use and cultural and religious attitudes. Furthermore, it was found that religious attitudes influence psychoactive substance use. This study revealed that Cypriot and Turkish students who use psychoactive substances exhibit different cultural and religious attitudes. It was found that cultural and religious attitudes differed among Turkish students who use psychoactive substances (t=-2.731, p= 0.007). While Cypriots using psychoactive substances showed more separation from cultural attitudes (23.33±10.90), Turkish students using psychoactive substances showed more assimilation from cultural attitudes (27.40±7.98). The study observed a relationship between substance use and cultural and religious attitudes, and that Cypriot-born and Turkish-born university students exhibited different religious and cultural attitudes regarding tobacco, alcohol, and drug use. While religious attitudes did not have a significant effect on psychoactive substance use among Cypriot students, they were more decisive among Turkish students. Sociocultural and religious attitudes should be considered when developing public health policies to prevent psychoactive substance use among university students. The development of strategies to prevent psychoactive substance use should be evaluated within the specific conditions and sociocultural structure of each society.
Keywords: Substance use, cultural attitudes, religious attitudes, university students
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