Contributing Factors of Substance Abuse among Secondary Level School Students in Bharatpur Metropolitan

Introduction: Substance abuse is harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substance including alcohol and illicit drugs. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and contributing factors for substance abuse among secondary school level students in Bharatpur Metropolitan. Methods: A cross sectional study was carried out among 495 students of grade 11 and 12 in secondary school setting in Bharatpur metropolitan from June to December, 2019. Data were collected using self-administered anonymous questionnaire. Chi-square test was performed to find out the association between dependent and independent variables and crude odd ratio was obtained to measure the strength of association. Results: The result of the study showed that 18.8% participants were currently involving in substance abuse. Alcohol was found to be most commonly abused substance by participants. Substance abuse was significantly associated with male students (OR=11.903, 95% CI: 6.395-22.157), high monthly household income abuse (OR=1.709, 95% CI: 1.085-2.691), time spent on internet more than one hour per day (OR=2.401, 95% CI: 1.388-4.153), no control over internet by others (OR= 2.578, 95% CI: 1.574-4.224), management students (OR= 1.678, 95% CI: 1.011-2.286), absence school more than 4 days in a month (OR= 2.401, 95% CI: 1.338-4.153), students living with others than family members (OR= 2.577, 95% CI: 1.339-4.958), substance abuser in family (OR= 2.701, 95% CI: 1.667-4.377), sibling abuse substances (OR= 4.757, 95% CI:1.467-15.248), substance abuser in close friend circle (OR= 11.204, 95% CI: 6.693-4.18.755), friends insisted/enforced to take substances (OR= 2.978, 95% CI: 1.409-6.294), substance abuser in neighborhood (OR= 2.866, 95% CI:1.777-4.621) and stressful events (OR= 2.434, 95% CI: 1.130-5.243). Conclusion: The study concluded that various socio-demographic, socio economic, technological, educational, environmental and psychological factors play significant role in substance abuse among secondary school students. It is recommended to observe and monitor activities of adolescents regularly, provide a suitable and supportive environment to adolescents and provide school, community and health facility based awareness, counselling and problem solving approaches for adolescents to solve the problem of substance abuse.

Experienced Psychosocial Problems of Women with Spouses of Substance Abusers: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND: Substance dependence is one of the most important social issues in the world today, which affects not only the life of an addicted individual, but also the relatives of the substance abuser individual, and in particular their spouses and children are also exposed to multiple injuries. AIM: This study aimed to investigate the experiences of the women with the substance abuser spouse. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study is a qualitative study. Sampling was done purposefully. The data were subjected to 25 participants with in-depth and semi-structured interviews (15 wives and 7 therapists and 3 officials dealing with family members of the substance abuser) and analysed using the qualitative approach of the conventional content analysis (Granheim's method). RESULTS: Out of the results of the interviews, two main categories were extracted, including A) family psychological breakdown and B) Disadvantaged social status. The main category of family psychological breakdown including 5 subcategories: Psychological disadvantages, losing borders in the family, insecure space house for the family, turbulent family and Concern on spouses leaving. Category of disadvantaged social status is also including 3 subcategories: trying to preserve the family's image, social stigma, and social isolation of the family. CONCLUSION: The families, especially the women with the substance abuser spouse, are severely vulnerable in various psychological and social dimensions. Therefore, the attention of the health cares to these families is important.

Family support indices for substance abuser in Terengganu

Substance abuse has been a longstanding global issue. Efforts are continuing to find solutions. Family support is important and occurs in different forms. This study was designed to identify factors influencing family support and to relate them to the types of support given to help develop family support indices. Factors deemed to influence family support were identified and subjected to factor analysis to deter-mine the association. A family support index was developed based on the four types of family support investigated. The scale categories ranging from very good to very poor as the indicator for the level of family support in the study area. Family support indices for the four types of support were high. The form of family support with the highest index score was ‘instrumental support’. We concluded that sub-stance abusers received good family support with the highest score recorded for instrumental support. The indices developed can help au-thorities obtain a comprehensive picture of support given and design programs to use optimally family support in the management of sub-stance abuse.