Violence against adolescent girls as a phenomenon and the relationship between violence, drug abuse and depression

Introduction
Among women exposed to violence, self-destructive behaviors such as drug abuse and psychological disorders such as depression, fear, anxiety, eating disorders and obsessive-compulsive behavioral disorders are reported to be observed frequently.
This research seeks to study the relationship between violence, drug abuse and depression.
Materials and Method
This cross-sectional research was conducted in a girls’ high-school in the southwest of Turkey in 2004. One hundred and thirteen students, whose average age was 14,1±1,0, agreed to take part in the research. The data were collected through a Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and a questionnaire which contained questions evaluating the subjects’ socio-demographic characteristics, exposure to violence, and drug abuse. The evaluation was made by employing  Statistical Package of Social Science, and descriptive analyses, chi-square, Mann Whitney U  and logistic regression analyses.
Results
It was determined that 19,5 percent of the subjects had been exposed to violence. Twenty nine percent of them had tried smoking, 12,4 had tried alcohol and 2,7 had tried drugs. The ratio of the subjects who had tried any one of the three (smoking, alcohol, drugs) was 31,0. The percentage of the subjects who had used or who were still using any one of the three was 10,6. The ratio of drug abuse was higher ( 36,4%) among the girls who had been exposed to violence compared to those who had not (4,4%) (p<0,0001). In multiple analyses, exposure to violence was determined as a parameter affecting drug abuse ( Exp (B):10,6, 95% CI: 2,7-41,2, p<0,01). The average of BDI points was higher (21,8±11,5) among those who had been exposed to violence than the ones who had not.(14,6±10,2) (p<0,01).
Conclusion

It was concluded that depression points were higher and drug abuse was more widespread among the adolescent girls exposed to violence.

Key  Words: violence, adolescent, depression, drug abuse.