Compilation and Validation of a School-Based Educational Package for Preventing Addiction in Adolescents and Evaluation of its Effectiveness on Students' Tendency to Addiction

Objective: This research aimed to develop and validate a school-based educational package for the prevention of addiction among adolescents and to investigate its effectiveness on students' susceptibility to addiction.Method: The research employed a qualitative approach involving thematic analysis, while the quantitative component utilized a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test measures, including a control group and a two-month follow-up period.The statistical population of the study included all male middle school students in Karaj in 2023.From this population, 30 individuals were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two groups: experimental (n=15) and control (n=15).The content analysis method was used to identify the components of the educational package.Then, the participants in the experimental group received 8 sessions of the developed educational package on addiction prevention.To collect data, questionnaires on addiction readiness and high-risk behaviors were used.The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and qualitative data using MAXQDA2020 software.Results: In the qualitative findings section, about 134 primary themes were extracted, which were finally developed into 4 overarching themes and 18 subthemes.In the quantitative findings section, the results showed that the educational package for addiction prevention was effective in reducing students' propensity for addiction.The results of the follow-up stage also showed that the positive effects of the intervention were maintained over time.Conclusion: According to the results, the use of this educational intervention is recommended by the welfare organization, psychological centers, and other educational and cultural organizations for providing addiction prevention education.