FAMILY FUNCTIONING, SOCIAL CONNECTEDNESS, COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS, AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AS CORRELATES OF POLYSUBSTANCE USE AMONG MALE POLYSUBSTANCE USERS IN PUNJAB

Abstract

Polysubstance use is defined as the simultaneous or sequential use of more than one psychoactive substance during a certain period and it is linked to serious psychosocial and clinical problems. The current research set out to explore psychosocial correlates of polysubstance use in Faisalabad in male drug addicts and to determine the predictive power of social and psychological factors. The correlational research design was used. A total of 201 male polysubstance users (M = 21.22, SD = 5.24) aged 18-30 years were sampled, using purposive and snowball sampling in rehabilitation centers in Faisalabad. Such measures were the General Functioning of Family Scale (GFFS), Social Connectedness Scale-Revised (SCS-R), Cognitive Distortion Scale (CDS), Flourishing Scale (FS), and Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10). Findings revealed that the degree of social connectedness and psychological well-being had a negative relationship with polysubstance use, but family dysfunction and cognitive distortions were positively related to polysubstance use. The hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that cognitive distortion was a single factor that accounted 36% of the variance in polysubstance use. Introduction of social connectedness enhanced the variance that was explained up to 46%, and the addition of family functioning up to 48%. Findings highlight the significant role of family dynamics, social bonding, cognitive distortions, and psychological well-being in understanding polysubstance use.