Investigation of the demographic characteristics and awareness levels of individuals treated at ATMATEM

The aim of this study is to examine subjects such as the age of starting substance use, gender, the reasons for deciding on treatment by applying a questionnaire to individuals who are inpatients in 28 centers, that is, who have accepted that they are addicted and who are trying to get rid of this situation, and also to measure the cognition levels of individuals receiving treatment about AMATEM centers. A total of 700 people, including 662 men and 38 women, were included in the study. Research data were collected with a questionnaire created by the researcher. This survey consists of two parts. In the first part, there are questions that include sociodemographic information such as age, gender, income, education and marital status. In addition, in the first part, questions about the substance use histories of the participants were also included. In the second part, the Substance Addiction Awareness Scale, which consists of sub-headings of aid and legal regulations, symptoms and effects of substance use, personal attitudes and opinions, factors causing addiction, was used. The questionnaire and the scale consist of 35 questions in total. In the data analysis of this study, firstly, the frequency and percentage values of the answers obtained from the survey questions were given. Reliability and factor analysis and normality test were conducted for the Substance Use Awareness Scale. Analysis was continued with independent sample t test, ANOVA, correlation test. As a result of frequency analysis, it was seen that 64.38 of the participants were single, 36% of them had divorced parents and at least one of them was not alive. Looking at the age groups, it was seen that the age group between 26-35 constituted the largest group with 45.21%. 22.10% of the participants were primary school graduates. Those with a bachelor's degree made up only 8.44% of all participants. The most common type of substance used by the participants was cigarettes with 20%. The following items were cannabis with 17.72%, alcohol with 17.54%, heroin with 13.25% and pill use with 12.12%. According to the results of our study, 42.70% of the participants decided on substance addiction treatment because their families did not want it. 18% of the participants stated that they took a drug addiction treatment decision due to the difficulties they encountered in business and social life, 13% due to health problems, and 11% due to legal obligations. It was observed that 63.30% of the participants did not work in an income-generating job and 72.40% did not find their income sufficient. According to the results of this study, 66.09% of the participants quit their jobs due to substance abuse. There was also a substance addicted individual in the family of 18.45% of the participants. In addition, 8.7% of them had a family member who was treated for substance addiction. The rate of those who knew that they could receive drug addiction treatment free of charge at AMATEM was 73.39%. The rate of those who thought that institutions such as the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Family and Social Policies provided sufficient information on the subject was 64.81%. 32.60% of all participants declared that they were involved in a crime due to substance abuse. In addition, 17.31% declared that they stayed in the penitentiary institution due to their crime. When asked about the reasons for starting substance use, 22.8% of the participants answered that they started because of the substance use of their friends in their social circle. 14.4% of the participants stated that they started using substances because of the environment they live in, 12.3% because of personal curiosity and 10.4% because of family problems. In addition, the Substance Addiction Awareness Scale was applied to the participants and it was determined that the awareness level of women was significantly higher than that of men. Considering the age group, the total awareness level of the participants in the 36-45 age group was found to be significantly higher than the other age groups. In addition, it was found that the total awareness score did not differ according to the educational status, employment status and marital status of the participants. Substance use awareness total score and sub-dimension scores were found to be significantly higher in people who knew that they could receive free treatment from AMATEM. The total score of the awareness level of substance use is significantly higher for the participants who think that enough information is given by the relevant institutions. When the substance use awareness total score was evaluated, it was determined that the awareness levels of the participants whose parents were not alive were significantly lower than the awareness levels of the other groups.