Purpose: This study examined the differences in drug abuse knowledge and drug usage attitudes among middle school students based on their diverse sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: This descriptive survey included 214 middle school students fr...
Purpose: This study examined the differences in drug abuse knowledge and drug usage attitudes among middle school students based on their diverse sociodemographic characteristics. Methods: This descriptive survey included 214 middle school students from five co-educational schools in G city. Data were collected from May 17th to June 17th, 2024, through a Google Forms survey distributed via QR codes. The data were analyzed using SPSS 27.0 for frequency, descriptive statistics, t-tests, one-way ANOVA, Scheffe post-hoc tests, Spearman's rank correlation, and multiple regression. Results: The study found that drug usage attitude had significant positive correlations with peer relationship satisfaction (rho=.26, p <.001), school life satisfaction (rho=.18, p =.010), parental relationship (rho=.20, p =.004), academic performance (rho=.40, p <.001), and drug abuse knowledge (rho=.35, p <.001). Multiple regression analysis revealed that the main factors significantly influencing drug usage attitude were drug abuse knowledge (β=.37, p <.001) and parental relationship (β=.18, p =.008). Drug abuse knowledge emerged as the most influential factor, while parental relationship was also a significant predictor. The regression model explained 22.3% of the variance in attitudes towards drug use (F=10.39, p <.001). Conclusion: The findings underscore the importance of tailored educational programs to enhance drug abuse knowledge and its consequences and foster negative drug usage attitudes in general among adolescents. Support and communication within schools and families are thus essential to this effort in combating one of the key social issues of this era.