TITLE:
Actors of Psychoactive Drug Initiation among Adolescents in Yaoundé-Cameroon
AUTHORS:
Claude-Audrey Meguieze, Atabe Ngwene Neri Ngole, Georges Eric Nseme Etouckey, Paul Olivier Koki Ndombo
KEYWORDS:
Initiators, Drug Users, Adolescents, Cameroon
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.14 No.2,
March
8,
2024
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Actors of psychoactive drug initiation refer to
those who introduce others to psychoactive drug use (initiators) and those who
are introduced to psychoactive drugs (users). By identifying their features,
better prevention and intervention programs can be developed to reduce
psychoactive drug use among adolescents. This article describes the role of
actors of psychoactive drug initiation among teenagers in secondary schools in
Yaoundé (Cameroon). Methodology: A cross sectional study was carried out
in twelve secondary schools in Yaoundé from October 2022 to May 2023.
Adolescents from Form four to upper sixth, who assented to participate in the
study and received parental consent were included. Data were collected in a
structured self-reported questionnaire and
analyzed using SPSS 23. Quantitative variables were expressed using
means, standard deviations, median and interquartile ranges depending on the
distribution of data. Qualitative variables were expressed in the form of frequency and percentages. Results: Drug
use was more prevalent among male adolescents (55.3%) from nuclear
families (91.4%) who received relatively high
pocket money. The main sources of drug exposure were non-family members (49.7%), especially friends outside school. The
most frequent place of initiation was snack bars (33.1%). Conclusion: The study revealed the importance of the family, friends and leisure places in
the initiation process of drug use in
teenagers. Based on these results, parents and school authorities should
work together to create a safe and supportive environment that fosters
communication, education to prevent drug abuse among adolescents in Yaoundé.