Examining the Determinants of Substance Use among Senior High School Students in Ghana in the Tamale Metropolis

Abstract

This study investigated the prevalence of substance use and factors that influence substance use among Senior High School (SHS) Students at Tamale Metropolis in the Northern Region of Ghana. The philosophical orientation for this study was positivism and the research approach used was Quantitative. The study employed a descriptive survey study approach. The accessible population for the study was 3150 students. Thus, the sample size adopted for this study was 315. The students filled out a structured questionnaire with closed-ended questions and multiple-choice Likert scale items. Data was described and summarised by frequencies and percentages. The statistical tool used for the analysis of results was SPSS version 24. The findings revealed that the media, the location of the school, broken families, and peer pressure did have influence on students’ use of substance. Frequently abused drugs were identified as tobacco, painkillers (tramadol), antibiotics, and emergency pills. Cannabis, alcohol, stimulants, sedative drugs, and inhalants such as petrol and glue were used less frequently amongst the students. Strategies to curb drug and substance abuse included establishing good relationships and communication between parents and their children, religious interventions, providing basic needs, offering guidance and counselling services, enforcing strict parental control, and enforcing strict school rules and regulations. It was recommended that the Ministry of Education was advised to add drug education as a stand-alone subject to be taught in second cycle schools in Ghana.