Determination of setting life goals and meaning in life levels in youth between 18-24 years old diagnosed with psychoactive substance use disorders

Objective: This study was conducted to determine the levels of creating life purpose and finding meaning in life in teens aged 18-24 years who were diagnosed with psychoactive substance use disorder. Method: The study was planned as a descriptive-correlational study. It was held with 302 individuals applied to Akdeniz University Alcohol and Substance Addiction Research and Application Center. It was used "Personally Identifiable Features Form", "The Meaning in Life Questionnaire" and "The Scale of Setting Life Goals with Respect to Psychotherapy". SAS 9.4 Package program was used for statistical analysis. Data were evaluated using percentile, mean, standard deviation, t-test, variance analysis and Pearson's Correlation test. Results: The mean score of meaning in life is 4.28±0.68, the mean score of presence of meaning in life is 3.10±1.57, the mean score of search for meaning in life is 5.47±1.04, the mean score of settinglife goals is 2.11±0.58. A significant, positive and strong relationship between the levels of meaning in life and setting life goals; a negative relationship between the presence of meaning in life and the search for meaning in life was determined. For men, who lives in towns and villages, employees, single substance users and daily substance users in life meaning, presence of meaning in life score averages are high, search for meaning in life score average is low (p<0.05). Conclusion: Individuals in study are incapable of presence of meaning in life and setting life goals. Individuals who do not find meaning in life are in search of meaning in life. Gender, working status, where they live, the number of substances they use and the frequency of substance use influence the determination of meaning and purpose of life. So it may be suggested that individuals diagnosed with psychoactive substance use disorder should be used as a source of data for the evaluation of the levels of meaning and purpose of life in life and the factors that affect it.