Adolescents' perspectives on addiction: qualitative study.

Given that the adolescence period is one of the most crucial stages of development during one's lifetime and adolescents are prone to engage in behaviors which may negatively impact their health, it is very important to have a clear and transparent understanding of adolescents' health needs and problems. A content analysis with a qualitative approach was conducted and 41 healthy adolescents were interviewed. The results of this study revealed the following themes: addiction causes and prevalence; unhealthy friendship and communication and increased rates of cigarette smoking; alcohol and drugs; barriers to and factors in addiction and health; family and addiction. The findings showed worrying attitudes of adolescents to addiction and its prevalence are alarming. It is concluded that exploring adolescents' perspectives is not only important but is useful for maintaining a healthy society, and thus policy makers should develop effective prevention and intervention programs based on these themes.