Does Family Structure Predispose Youth to Drug Use: The Case of Kajiado County, Kenya

Abstract

There is evidence suggesting that drug use among the youth is common and has extensive effects on their social, health and economic lives. It is critical that this issue be addressed by understanding the factors that are associated with drug use in order to guide the development of targeted prevention programs. Family factors can either increase the risk or protect the youth from drug use. There is need to understand how family factors such as the structure of the family influence drug use among the youth. Guided by the structural family model this study sought to find out the relationship between family structure and drug use among youth in Kajiado County, Kenya. The study used the correlation study design and targeted youth between ages 10-25. To obtain the sample of 356 respondents, a multi-stage sampling procedure was used. Data was collected using a questionnaire, assessing family structure and drug use patterns. The chi square test was used to analyze the data. According to the findings, there were significant differences in recent, current and daily drug use between youth from double-parent and single-parent families, with those from single-parent families having the highest rates. These findings suggest that NACADA, youth organizations and other mental health practitioners concerned with drug use among youth should design drug use prevention programs that target youth from single-parent families who seem to be at a higher risk than their counterparts from double-parent families.