Delinquent Adolescents' Substance Use during Stay in Juvenile Correctional and Rehabilitation Center

Staying in Juvenile Correctional and Rehabilitation Centers (JCRCs) exposes adolescents to high levels of stress, potentially increasing the risk of substance use cravings and drug-seeking behaviors. Preventive programs should prioritize enhancing protective factors and mitigating risk factors. This research aimed to identify the risk and protective factors related to substance use among adolescents in JCRCs in Iran.

This study was a content analysis based on individual semi-structured, in-depth interviews with volunteer adolescents (aged 12-18 years) who had experienced JCRCs in Iran within the past 12 months. Snowball sampling was used to identify the participants. Open coding was initially conducted by reading transcripts. Then, similar codes were grouped and placed into categories. We ensured the utmost trustworthiness using constant comparison, member checks, peer debriefing, and revisiting the data multiple times.

Twenty-three eligible adolescents participated in the study. There was no substance use treatment protocol to treat adolescent substance users. Buprenorphine was the most accessed substance in JCRCs. Risk factors included peer substance use, substance offers during high-stress situations, stress, depression, hopelessness, slow passage of time, positive past substance use experiences, curiosity, poverty, financial problems, and myths about quitting. Protective factors included establishing rapport, providing counseling and social work services, engaging the adolescents in daily recreational activities, and assigning them responsibilities.

Shifting from punitive to supportive and preventive approaches within JCRCs by addressing peer influence, training staff in adolescent substance use treatment, and facilitating meaningful leisure activities could promote healthier behaviors among adolescents in these facilities.