Social Influences Of Drug Abuse Among Youth And Young Deliquents In Kampala Uganda

ABSTRACT

The major purpose of the study was to describe the social influences of drug abuse among the youth and young delinquents in Kampala. The study was a quantitative, descriptive correlational survey, using a sample of ninety two youth selected using purposive and convenient sampling techniques. a self administered questionnaire was used to collect data. Data was analyzed using SPSS’s means, standard deviations and the Pearson Linear correlation coefficient. The study tested three hypotheses to the effect that; environmental, psychological and cultural factors explain different levels of drug abuse among the youth and young delinquents in Kampala. The findings revealed that majority of the youth in the sample are rare abusers of drugs (mean index = 1.4583). Results found; i) a positive insignificant relationship between; a) environmental factors and awareness a bout drug abuse (p = 0.365; r = 0.098); and b) a negative insignificant correlation between environmental factors and drugs commonly abused (r = -0.007; p =.952); ii) a negative insignificant relationship between; a)psychological factors and awareness (r = -0.2; p 0.59); and b) a positive insignificant relationship between psychological factors and drugs commonly abused (r = 0.091; p = 0.392); iii) a positive insignificant relationship between; a) cultural factors and awareness (r = 0.237; p = 0.25); b) cultural factors and drugs commonly abused (r = 0.138; p =0.195). the researcher concluded that environmental, psychological and cultural factors are not responsible for drug abuse among the youth and young delinquents in Kampala in this particular sample. The researcher recommended that parents should always be mindful of the places where they build their homes and they should continue to sensitize their children about the dangers of abusing drugs, readers should get better ways of managing their stress, choose friends who would influence them positively, people should always be careful while celebrating important days, mass media should put on more programmes which would help to sensitize the youth on the dangers of abusing drugs and government should put in place more tight rules to punish the youth who abuse drugs.