The Impact of Drug Abuse Severity and Economic Burden on Family Well-Being in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Abstract

Drug abuse is still a public health and social issue which is injurious not only to the individual but also to the stability of family life. This study investigated the relationship between the severity of drug abuse and the associated economic burden associated with the use of substances with respect to family well-being in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan. A cross-sectional quantitative study was adopted by using a structured questionnaire that was filled out by 150 adult respondents from households affected by drug use. Drug abuse severity and economic burden were considered independent variables, and family well-being deterioration as the dependent variable. The data were analyzed via SPSS using descriptive statistics, scale reliability, bivariate associations with the chi-square test, Pearson correlation, independent samples t-test, and multiple linear regression. The chi-square tests revealed significant relationships between the level of severity and the level of family well-being and the level of economic burden as well as the level of family well-being (p <.001). Correlation analysis showed positive associations between the severity of drug abuse and deterioration of family well-being (r = 0.573, P < .001) and economic burden and deterioration of family well-being (r = 0.725, P < .001). Multiple linear regression revealed that after adjusting for age, gender, and household income, drug abuse severity (B = 0.194, p = .046) and economic burden (B = 0.627, p < .001) were significant predictors of family well-being deterioration that explained 52.3% variance of the outcome. There was no statistically significant gender difference for mean family well-being deterioration (p=.417). The results suggest that some of the families with more serious drug abuse problems also report being more financially stressed and having poorer family well-being, suggesting the need for a family-centered approach to prevention and support.