An assessment of the socio-economic factors that influence substance abuse among youths in the Gambia

Abstract

he study's main aim was to assess socio-economic factors’ influence on substance abuse among youths in The Gambia, for which a mixed-method approach was used, combining quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods to understand the research objectives comprehensively. The study covered all regions of The Gambia using a Snowball Sampling method for the exercise, in which a total of 1,338 respondents were interviewed, out of which 99% of them are current substance users. In contrast, 1% are no longer involved in substance use. Out of the total respondents, 2% were female, while 98% were Male. To identify the independent predictors of substance use, binary logistics regression was run, and the result was statistically significant (Chi-square = 51.911, p < 0.001; McFadden R-square = 0.046; N = 1,201). Tertiary educational attainment significantly reduces the odds of using substance appropriately by 55.7% compared to the informal education (B = -0.814, p =0.014), indicating that tertiary educational attainment is key preventive factors of substance use. Respondents who reported that their unemployment status has significantly higher odds of substance compared to those who believed it has no effect on their current use of substances (B = 0.442, p = 0.009). The descriptive statistics show that most of the respondents (50%) believe that their socio-economic status does not influence their use of substances and (64%) associate low-income status families with a higher likelihood of substance abuse among youths. Peer pressure, which many believe is greatly affecting young people nowadays, most of the participants (61%) believe that peer pressure significantly influenced the initial use of substances. The study recommends support programs like financial literacy workshops, youth development projects, and initiatives that create opportunities for youths, and vocational training should be implemented. This will mitigate the hardship of unemployment, reduce the
loitering of many youths by engaging them in something, and help them know how to utilize the little resources they have.