Given the widespread usage of social media and the saturation of social network sites (SNSs), many students
and instructors have integrated technology into both social and educational life to enhance their learning experiences. Yet, non-educational use of social media brings drawbacks and also causes undesirable situations. Especially for young people, multi-tasking, like using SNS during their class sessions, creates cognitive disabilities
as well as low academic performance. In this study, we have examined the relationships between SNS addiction
patterns (SNS intensity and network size) and academic achievement (grade point average, or GPA) of 711 college students in Turkey. We have also sought to assess whether there is a correlation between gender and SNS
addiction patterns. A questionnaire has been used for data collection. Our findings clearly show that the majority of our participants have used a smartphone for more than 5 years, with Instagram the app whose reputation
supersedes that of other SNSs. Surprisingly, we found no significant relationship between academic success and
SNS addiction patterns, though the study confirms a gender-discrepancy with regard to SNS addiction patterns.
Females spend more time on SNS than males, whereas males have more online friends than do females. The
reason for this disparity may derive from their different uses of SNS. Thus, further studies may concentrate on
different aspects of this issue with more factual and objective data to reveal the real impact of SNS on our lives.
Conclusions, suggestions, and research limitations have also been discussed.
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Based on data from mixed designed research, the purpose of this study was to develop design elements of
a public communication campaign on the fight against substance addiction. A focus group was conducted
with mothers from the city of İzmir, Turkey. Based on the focus group findings, a survey was conducted by
distributing a questionnaire to 403 mothers in İzmir. Focus group qualitative data revealed that mothers
were generally aware of the risks regarding substance addiction; however, they do not relate the issue to
their own children. Further, mothers were shown to be the people closest the children in their families.
Survey results revealed that mothers from higher socioeconomic backgrounds were more knowledgeable
regarding substance addiction. A cluster analysis showed that mothers with less education and lower income
levels had lower perceptions about substance addiction risk for school environments, neighborhoods, and
the city, while mothers with more education and higher income levels had higher levels of such perceptions.
Considering the results of our study, mothers were chosen as the main target for the public communication
campaign. Additionally, increasing social awareness about substance addiction was decided as the campaign’s main objective.
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Problematic Internet use not only has negative effects on adolescents’ development and social lives but also
may yield negative mental health outcomes. Taking into account that it may damage adolescents’ school and
family lives, it is clear that identifying and preventing factors associated with problematic Internet use is very
important on both the individual and societal levels. The purpose of the present study was to explore the associations between problematic Internet use, daily hassles, and social isolation among high school students. The
study group comprised high school students from various socioeconomic levels in Ankara, the capital city of
Turkey. Data were collected from 371 high school students: 189 female students (51%) and 180 male students
(49%). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to determine variables predicting high school students’ levels of problematic Internet use. The results showed that the variables of being ignored, exclusion, and
daily hassles significantly predicted high school students’ problematic Internet use. Suggestions were made in
light of the current literature.
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This study aimed to adapt the Generic Phubbing Scale (GPS) to Turkish culture and to examine the phubbing levels of university students concerning various variables. Acceptable goodness-of-fit indices were
found in the first-order confirmatory factor analysis (x2
/df=2.47, GFI=0.92, IFI=0.92, CFI=0.95, NFI=0.92
AGFI=0.89, TLI=0.94, and RMSEA=0.067) and the second-order confirmatory factor analysis (x2
/df=2.61,
GFI=0.92, IFI=0.95, CFI=0.95, NFI=0.92 AGFI=0.89, TLI=0.93, and RMSEA=0.070) performed to test the
construct validity of the GPS. Later, the significance of the upper and lower 27% groups was analyzed using
an independent t-test. The analysis results showed that the scale has the power to measure the desired characteristics. Chronbach’s alpha internal consistency coefficient was found to be a=89. The study examined
university students’ phubbing levels in terms of various variables and performed a hierarchical regression
analysis to explore whether the variables of smartphone addiction, fear of missing out, and boredom proneness were predictive variables for university students’ phubbing addiction levels. According to the results,
these three variables were found to be significant predictor variables for the phubbing levels of university
students.
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Lack of policy-oriented research in Turkey could be attributed to the perceptions of researchers on existence of
an alcohol use problem in the population, methodological difficulties of conducting alcohol research, and the perceived sensitivity of the topic in the population. This descriptive quantitative study was carried out before the conduct of the International Alcohol Control Study (IAC) in Turkey, with an aim to assess the knowledge, attitude,
and behaviors on alcohol research of 142 adults aged 18 years and above, who have the experience of consuming
alcohol, to determine their preference for interviewer characteristics, interview place, and research institution.
More than half of the participants (54.9%) stated that alcohol consumption studies were necessary, and a majority (74.7%) was willing to participate in such a study. The participants believed that the alcohol consumers from
their own social environments would express their drinking status openly (72.5%) and report their consumption
accurately (70.4%). Use of political or religious symbols by the interviewers did not seem to influence responses for
more than half of the study subjects, although a non-negligible group have not agreed. The participants favored
World Health Organization as the research institution (53.2%) and medical students (62.9%) as the interviewers.
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This qualitative study was carried out to determine the burden of care on Turkish caregivers of patients with
substance use disorder. The sample included relatives of 42 patients hospitalized in the Akdeniz University
Alcohol and Drug Addiction Research and Application Center. Individual in-depth, open semi-structured
interviews were used for data collection. Moreover, demographic questions and an interview guide with
questions were also used. According to the results of this study, the following themes were evaluated: difficulties experienced, coping, and needs. The findings showed that substance abuse has adverse consequences
and negatively affects both the patients and their relatives in terms of economic, psychological, and social
aspects. Furthermore, because of the social stigma of substance abuse, the families receive very limited social
support from the environment. This weakens the well-being of the family members and increases intrafamily
conflicts. We conclude that ensuring the well-being of the caregivers of patients with substance use disorder
is useful in maintaining a successful treatment of addiction. Thus, policymakers should include the relatives
of patients with substance use disorder in prevention and intervention programs to increase the effectiveness of the interventions.
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This study aimed to develop a measurement tool suitable for determining the gambling risk levels in Turkey. A
total of 128 outpatients at two facilities with complaints of gambling were included in the study. The South Oaks
Gambling Screen (SOGS) was used in the study. The Gambling Risk Screening Scale (GRSS), which evaluated
the level of gambling risk, was developed. The GRSS has two factors-gambling behavior and economic and social
problems-and they account for 59% of the total variance. The factor loadings for the first factor ranged from 0.55
to 0.77, whereas for the second factor, the factor loading ranged from 0.77 to 0.95. The Cronbach’s alpha of the entire scale was 0.84 and that of its subscales were 0.82 and 0.89. The cutoff point of the scale was 9.5, its sensitivity
was 0.98, and its specificity was 0.87. The GRSS scores correlated statistically with the SOGS scores. These findings indicated that GRSS could be considered a valid and reliable scale for determining the gambling risk levels.
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This preliminary study aimed to examine how engaging the family in addiction treatment affects sub-stance use and treatment compliance in patients who applied to the Green Crescent Consultancy Cen-
ter (YEDAM). Using causal comparison model, 148 family members (mother, father, siblings, and/or spouse) of 214 patients with drug/alcohol addiction who applied to YEDAM between January 2016
and June 2017 participated in the study. Self-reports of the individuals were taken into account in the
evaluation of alcohol/substance use or non-use for people with addiction. Compliance with the treat-ment was measured in the form of the rates of retention and drop-out for each individual. Individuals whose families attended 2 or lesser sessions abstained from substance use at a rate of 24.8%, whereas this rate was found to be 41% when they attended 3 or more sessions. When the families attended 2
or fewer sessions, it did not have an effect on treatment drop-out. When families attended 3 or more
sessions, the rate of continuing treatment was 2.3 times higher. As the number of sessions attended by the family members increased, the duration of not using substance increased. This also enhanced treatment compliance and decreased the rate of dropping out of treatment. Even with some limitations as a preliminary study, this research underlines the importance of family engagement in the course of the addiction treatment.
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This study aimed to investigate the anger levels, coping strategies, and affective temperaments of men with opioid dependence compared with a control group. The study included 50 male outpatients with opioid dependence who
had completed the detoxification process. A total of 50 men who matched the study group in terms of age, sex, and education level were included as the control group. The state trait anger expression scale; coping inventory;
and temperament evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego auto questionnaire scales were completed
by all the participants. The trait anger, anger-in, and anger-out scores of the case group were significantly higher than those of the control group. Cyclothymic and hyperthymic temperament scores were significantly higher in
the case group. In the case group, mental disengagement, focus on and venting of emotions, and behavioral and
alcohol-drug disengagement scores were significantly higher. The patients in the case group were also less likely to
use humor, emotional and social support, and planning. In conclusion, a higher level of anger in opioid-dependent men was observed with the use of dysfunctional methods to cope with stress and hyperthymic and cyclothymic
temperament properties compared with the control group. Treatment planning for anger-control, affective tem-peraments, and coping strategies are likely to help in a positive prognosis.
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Turkey is the country that hosts most migrants worldwide. Although migrants are a risk group for alcohol and
substance addiction (ASA), literature is limited. This study aims to explore and identify the present state and influencing factors of ASA among Syrian migrants in Turkey by integrating perspectives of addicts, their rela-tives, and local and national institutions. This qualitative study was designed by the grounded theory approach and took place in 5 cities in Turkey between 2018 and 2019. It is composed of 4 focus group discussions with 77
informants from local governmental, non-governmental, and academic organizations; 11 key person interviews with heads of national organizations; and in-depth interviews with 45 addicted Syrian migrants and 21 relatives.
Themes that emerged from the data are characteristics of addicted migrants, types of addictions, predisposing and exacerbating factors, preventing factors, obtaining alcohol and substances, manners of use, consequences
of use, public services and utilization of them, and the experiences of addicted migrants. The findings of this
study provide guidance for future research and policies. Addicted migrants have awareness and motivation to quit but face many environmental barriers. Activities of institutions in Turkey on ASA in Syrian migrants are
insufficient. Specific, well-coordinated action is needed. It should also utilize Syrian human resources.
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