Awareness Regarding Substance Abuse among Adolescents in a Secondary School

Abstract

Background: Adolescence is the phase of life between childhood and adulthood from ages 10 and 19 where they experience rapid physical, cognitive, and psychological growth. Substance abuse is the use of substances in excessive amounts or by methods harmful to individuals or others. This study aimed to find out the awareness regarding substance abuse among adolescents in a secondary school.

Methods: This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design among 81 adolescents studying in Greenland High School of Kathmandu district who were selected using a probability proportionate stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected through a self-administered semi-structured questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16 and descriptive and inferential statistics.

Results: The findings of the study revealed that 86.4% of respondents knew about substance abuse. About 97.5% had received information about substance abuse out of which 67.9% received information from mass media. Around 80.2% of respondents stated class drop and fighting with friends as the impact of substance abuse on education while, a total of 22.2% had a high level of awareness. None of the socio-demographic characteristics of respondents had an association with the awareness level regarding substance abuse.

Conclusion: The study concluded that the majority of adolescents had a moderate level of awareness regarding substance abuse. Therefore, awareness programs should be conducted for all adolescents focusing especially on consequences of substance use, ways of handling peer pressure and preventive measures of substance abuse.