Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Human Services

Advisor

Dr. Kelly Chermack

Abstract

AbstractThe problem studied was that by 2025, over 5 million adults in the United States will likely be suffering from different disorders caused by substance use. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative, nonexperimental study was to investigate the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES), stress, happiness, and the frequency of drug use amongst adults over the age of 45 years who resided in the State of Florida and were currently enrolled in a substance use recovery program. The stress process model guided this study and the research questions focused on determining any relationships between frequency of drug use, SES, stress, and happiness, while controlling for age, sex, and ethnicity the population under study. Data were collected by a survey completed by 121 respondents recruited by different Facebook groups. The survey included four different instruments: a demographic questionnaire, a frequency of drug use questionnaire, the Subjective Happiness Scale, and the Perceived Stress Scale. Individuals completed the survey via SurveyMonkey. Multiple regression was used to assess the relationship between adult substance use, SES, stress, and happiness, while controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, and income. Although, SES had a positive effect with frequency of patients’ drug usage, while happiness and stress had a negative effect on frequency drug usage when controlling for age, sex, and ethnicity. Overall regression model did not explain significant amount of variance in frequency of drug use among adults aged 45 years and older who are currently enrolled in a substance use recovery program in the State of Florida. Findings may contribute to social change by further informing healthcare practitioners as they provide more effective treatment programs to substance users.

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