Repercussions of divorce on children's drug abusing- A sociological study on a sample of children divorced parents

Abstract

The current study aimed to attempt to determine the issue of the repercussions of divorce on children’s drug abusing by studying and analyzing a sample of 30 individuals between the ages of 15 and 18 years who were selected through a snowball sample due to the sensitivity of the issue and the difficulty of reaching drug users, the sample members live in the areas of Algiers. we applied the interview questionnaire to them, and we reached the following results: Most of the sample members live with their mother; the absence of parents due to divorce left a void for children, which prompted them to form new social relationships and friendships, especially through social media; the beginning of drug use was with friends, especially those who live in the same social conditions, most cases began by taking medications sold in pharmacies, such as Lyrica and some nerve tranquilizers, before proceeding and getting used to taking drugs; in the beginning, drugs were obtained for free, that is, without compensation, and after getting used to them and becoming addicted to them, they became obtained by paying a price according to the type and quantity of the drug, which led some children to put pressure on their parents to obtain money, and some of them resorted to theft in order to obtain it; most of the respondents became addicted to drugs and stated that they would not stop using them; ignorance of parents and other family members about their children’s drug use; exchanging accusations between divorced parents about the responsibility of their children’s drug use.