Education as a Moderator between Addiction Specific Support and Self-Efficacy among Recovering Substance Users

Role of level of education has seldom been considered as capable of influencing the much researched relationship between social support and self efficacy m drug taking populations. The present study thus highlights on the buffering effect which education can likely have on social support-self efficacy relationship. The study also manages to throw light on addiction specific form of social support and its association with self efficacy in accordance with recent literature emphasizing on the addiction specific rather than general forms of social support. A group of 150 substance users receiving rehabilitation treatment in Kolkata were approached for interview after taking their informed consent and permission from the admmistrative authorities of the centers visited. Measures of social support and self efficacy were administered and details with regard to education qualification were obtained from the records maintained by the respective centers. Hierarchical regression analysis was done to probe prediction of self efficacy from social support and level of education and also from the product interactions of the two variables. Results revealed significant moderation effect of level of education on relationship between social support and self efficacy.