a comparative study of depression, anxiety and stress between drug abusers and non-abusersin youths18 to 29 yearsold

background: substance abuse is as a health-related behavioral problem, which more or less all countries have to deal with it. this behavior has broad effects on the individual and societal level, thereforeidentifying factors associated with this behavior is necessary. this study compared rates of depression, anxiety and stress between drug abusers and non-abusers. methods: this was a descriptive-analytic research withcomparative design. the population included the youths of ages 18 to 29 years (with and without drug abuse behavior). the sample size in drug abuser group and non-abusers were 183 and 207subjects, respectively andwere selected by random sampling method. the data collection instrument was aquestionnaire of personal information containing 6 questions and the standard questionnaire wasdepression anxiety stress scales-21 (dass-21). the data were analyzed using independent t-test, chi-square, mann-whitney, and logistic regression analysis. findings: the average age of the drug abusers was 25.9±2.96 years and in the comparison group it was 24.2±3.36 years. the most consumed drug was methamphetamine (75.9%). there was asignificant differencebetween the levels of educationof the two groups (p<0.001). the score of the depression, anxiety and stress in drug abusers wasmore than the comparison group and this relationship was significant (p<0.001). based on the logistic regression analysis, anxiety had the highest associationwith drug abuse behavior. conclusion: according to the relationship between psychological factors and behavior of substance abuse, it is necessary to suggest social plans forprevention and mental disorderstreatment.