Publication: Factors influencing drug and substance abuse among secondary school students in Murang’a East county, Kenya.
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2014-05
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Mount Kenya University
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Abstract
Drug abuse is increasing in Kenya. A number of studies have been carried out in the country to
find out the causes that make the youngster to experience on the use of drug and substance abuse.
The major cause of concern is that significance proportion of these young people eventually get
addicted posing a threat to their own health and safety while creating difficulties for their
families and the society at large. The study sought to establish the current trend of drug abuse
among students in Kenyan secondary schools and to analyze the strategies to be used to address
the problem. The study conducted a review of documented works carried out by other
researchers. The study was guided by social learning theory by Albert Bandura. It employed
descriptive design and it was carried out in public secondary schools in Murang’a East sub-
county. The target population were the guidance and counselling teachers and form three
students in all public secondary school in Murang’a East sub-county. The study used stratified
random sampling method. This was because it sought to get a balanced and unbiased distribution
of the students in all categories of schools, that is, national, county and day schools in Murang’a
East sub-county. The study used questionnaires and focus group discussions for data collection
purposes. The questionnaires were administered to guidance and counselling teachers while the
students were accessed well by focus group discussions. The data was analysed by a way of
descriptive statistics and presented in form of frequency tables, percentages and statistics or
abstracts.
The study found out that the situation of failure to have constant guidance and counselling
programmes between the schools and their students causes them to engage in drugs and
substance abuse. This was confirmed by 60% of the respondents. It also found out that the
students personalities caused them to engage in drugs and substance abuse. This was attributed to
their character traits and allied environmental factors in the growth and developmental processes
by 87% of the respondents. The study equally found out that high thresholds of the discipline
standards had greatly helped reduce and forestall the drugs and substance abuse practices. This
was confirmed by all the respondents.
The study recommended that the schools should always have continuous guidance and
counselling programmes for the student fraternity. This will always assure the students of ability
to have first hand information about the drugs and substance abuse phenomenal devoid of having
them experimenting and getting to explore on their own. The study proposed that the schools
should always seek to understand the different individual personality traits of the students as a
measure to check the instances of drugs and substance abuse. They should always seek to
provide the students with avenues to ventilate and reduce anxiety and performance induced stress
in relation to the pressure accruing from academics. The study proposes enforcement of very
high discipline standards in the schools to check the situation of drugs and substance abuse. The
schools should work towards availing the students with forums for constructive recreation
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Education, Mathematics, Business studies