Factors Influencing Youth Engagement in Drug Abuse in Iringa Municipality
Jacqueline Stephen Mauya *
Department of Community Development, Iringa Municipal Council, Iringa, P.O Box 162, Tanzania.
Agnes Nzali
Department of Community Development, University of Iringa, Iringa, P.O Box 200, Tanzania.
Sothenes Ruheza
Department of Community Development, University of Iringa, Iringa, P.O Box 200, Tanzania.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
This study examined social factors influencing youth engagement in drug abuse in Iringa Municipality, Tanzania. Specifically, the study examined the influence of peer relationships, parental behaviour, and cultural and community norms on youth engagement in drug abuse. The study employed a mixed-methods approach using a descriptive cross-sectional research design. Data were collected from 123 youth respondents using structured questionnaires and through interviews with 31 key informants. Quantitative data were analysed using frequencies and percentages in SPSS Version 20, while qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings showed that peer influence was a major social factor influencing youth engagement in drug abuse, with 79.7% of respondents acknowledging its influence. The findings also showed that parental supervision was generally limited, as 77.2% of respondents reported receiving supervision only sometimes, rarely or never. Parental behaviour was also associated with youth drug abuse through parental substance-use modelling (29.3%), lack of supervision or control (24.4%), poor family communication (22.8%), family conflict or violence (14.6%), and emotional neglect (8.9%). Furthermore, 74.8% of respondents reported that cultural and community norms influenced youth drug abuse. Key informants further identified peer pressure, inadequate parental supervision, economic hardship, unemployment, drug availability, and drug-use hotspots as important conditions surrounding youth drug abuse in the study area. The study concludes that social environments, particularly peer groups, families, and community norms, play an important role in shaping youth engagement in drug abuse. The study recommends strengthening peer-focused prevention programmes, parental supervision and communication, community awareness, youth economic empowerment, law enforcement, and rehabilitation services to reduce youth engagement in drug abuse in Iringa Municipality.
Keywords: Youth, drug abuse, peer influence, parental behaviour, community norms, social factors, Iringa Municipality