Perceived Psychosocial and Environmental Determinants of Youth Drug Abuse Risk: An Exploratory Factor Analytic Study from Central India

Abstract

 Background: Drug abuse risk by youth is increasingly conceptualized as a psycho-social and environmental behavior and less of isolated individual factors. In most of the studies particularly where direct behavioral investigation is limited the understanding of perceived risk environments provides valued insight into youth drug abuse vulnerability.

Objectives: The objective of this study is to explore latent psychosocial and environmental factors associated with youth drug abuse susceptibility using an exploratory factor analytic approach.

Methods: The cross-sectional survey was administered to parents and community members, positioned to observe youth behavior in the central part of India, with sample of 340. Perception-based indicators related to family context, peer environment, psychological distress, socio-economic stress and media exposure were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation.

Results: Seven latent dimensions explaining 62.21% of total variance were identified: awareness campaigns, perceived drug-use trends, health and personal skills, regional contextual impact, environmental influence, pessimism and social rejection. Psychological and relational vulnerability dimensions particularly pessimism and social rejection emerged as salient perceived risk components, while awareness campaigns reflected a protective dimension.

Conclusions: Findings of this study suggest that the youth drug abuse susceptibility is perceived as rising from interacting psychosocial, family exposure and environmental factors rather than because of single determinants. Result supports prevention strategies that integrate mental health promotion, social inclusion and environmental risk reduction, consistent with modern addiction-risk frameworks.