Achievement motivation as a risk factor of heroin abuse in Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Achievement motivation as a psychosocial risk factor was studied in this investigation. Research design of the study was formulated after conducting a pilot study on psychosocial risk factors of heroin abuse in Pakistan. A sample of one hundred subjects comprising of fifty heroin abusers and fifty matched non-users was taken. The data was collected from the psychiatry ward of Civil Hospital, Karachi. Achievement motivation was assessed on the basis of information derived through intensive interview, a specially designed questionnaire and Thematic Apperception Test [TAT] pictures. A chi-square test of independence was applied for the statistical analysis of the data. Results obtained indicated that abusers perceived low achievement motivation significantly [P<.001] more as compared to non-users, while non-users indicated greater tendency to perceive high achievement motivation as compared to abusers