A Public Relations-Oriented Policy Approach in Combating Substance Addiction

Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, Early View

Published Online: 03 July 2026, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.09

RESEARCH ARTICLE / ARAŞTIRMA YAZISI

A Public Relations-Oriented Policy Approach in Combating Substance Addiction

Madde Bağımlılığıyla Mücadelede Halkla İlişkiler Odaklı Politika Yaklaşım

Simge Ünlü¹ , Lütfiye Yaşar Bilici²

Abstract:

This study analyzes the public relations policies countries employ to combat substance addiction. The research population consists of the countries listed in the World Drug Report. The sample includes Türkiye, the United States, Bangladesh, Australia, Spain, and South Africa, selected to represent diverse socioeconomic groups across continents. The scope of the study is limited to the national strategies and status reports on drug control from the last three periods for the selected countries. The study was conducted within this framework, using a concurrent mixed-methods design. The countries’ status reports on substance addiction were used as quantitative data and analyzed using document analysis in SPSS 26. Content analysis was applied to the qualitative data, and the strategies countries employed to combat substance addiction were analyzed using MaxQDA. The findings from both studies were compared, and a model for combating substance addiction was developed. The proposed model integrates key elements such as social interaction and dialogue, solidarity, and the establishment of social peace into policy, education, healthcare services, legal regulations, and social support mechanisms. This diversity of approaches is expected to provide a multidimensional strategy for substance use prevention.

Keywords: Health communication, Substance addiction, Social policy, Public relations.

*This study was derived from Lütfiye Yaşar Bilici’s doctoral dissertation entitled ‘A Model Proposal on the Public Relations–Oriented Social Policy of Addiction Programs,’ supervised by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Simge Ünlü.

¹Sakarya University, Faculty of Communication, Department of Public Relations and Advertising, Sakarya, Türkiye.

²Anadolu University, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Yunus Emre Campus, Tepebaşı / Eskişehir, Türkiye.

Address of Correspondence/Yazışma Adresi: Lütfiye Yaşar Bilici, Anadolu University, Faculty of Communication Sciences, Yunus Emre Campus, Tepebaşı / Eskişehir, Türkiye. E-mail: [email protected].

Date of Received/Geliş Tarihi: 24.08.2025, Date of Revision/Düzeltme Tarihi: 16.12.2025, Date of Acceptance/Kabul Tarihi: 18.12.2025, Date of Online Publication/Çevirimiçi Yayın Tarihi: 03.07.2026

Citing/Referans Gösterimi: Ünlü, S. & Bilici, L.Y. (2026). A public relations-oriented policy approach in combating substance addiction. Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry & Psychology, 1-8, Doi:10.35365/ctjpp.26.3.09.

© 2026 The Author(s). Published by Cyprus Mental Health Institute / Cyprus Turkish Journal of Psychiatry and Psychology (www.ktppdergisi.com). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited and is not used for commercial purposes. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/