This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution NoDerivs License. (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0) If the original work is properly cited and retained without any modification or reproduction, it can be used and re-distributed in any format and medium. Purpose: This study was designed to construct a model which explains drug misuse behaviors in community-dwelling older adults. Methods: The design of this research is a cross-sectional

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... study using structure equation modeling. The hypothetical model consisted of two types of variables: the exogenous variables of health status, cognitive ability, and negative emotion, and the endogenous variables of number of drugs, and drug misuse behaviors. The data collection was conducted from September 2 to September 21, 2013 through self-report questionnaires. Participants were 320 community-dwelling adults over the age of 65 living in J city. Data were analyzed with SPSS 21.0 program and Amos 18.0 program. Results: The results of the model fitness analysis were satisfied. The predictor variables for the hypothetical model explained 62.3% of variance regarding drug misuse behaviors. Drug misuse behaviors were directly affected by health status, cognitive ability, negative emotion and number of drugs and indirectly affected by health status, and negative emotion through number of drugs. Conclusion: These findings indicate factors that should be used in developing effective nursing interventions for safe and proper drug use and the prevention of drug misuse behaviors in community-dwelling older adults. The association between negative affect and prescription opioid misuse in patients with chronic pain: The mediating role of opioid craving. The Journal of Pain. 2014;15(1):90-100. http://dx.tentially inappropriate medication use in elderly patients: A study of prevalence and predictors in two teaching hospitals. Journal of Postgraduate Medicine. 2010;56(3):186-191. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/0022-3859.68642 23.Jyrkkä J, Enlund H, Korhonen MJ, Sulkava R, Hartikainen S. Patterns of drug use and factors associated with polypharmacy and excessive polypharmacy in elderly persons: Results of the Kuopio 75+ study: A cross-sectional analysis. Drugs and Aging. 2009;26(6):493-503. http://dx.