Agensi antidadah kebangsaan kementerian dalam negeri

LITERATURE REVIEW
Previous studies have found that many reasons contribute to the
involvement of students in drug abuse. Some of these reasons
summarized by Ee Ah Meng (1997) are as follows:
i.
The curiosity to know the effects of drugs;
ii.
the ignorance of the dangers of drug abuse;
iii.
Peer influence and the desire to be accepted into a group;
iv.
A means of seeking inner peace when faced with life problems
such as inability to cope with failures in examinations, love, or
life in general;
v.
A means of forgetting worries, hardship in life and bad
experiences;
vi.
On impulse without considering the possible consequences of
drug abuse;
vii. Lack of love from parents;
viii. Boredom towards schools and school activities;
ix.
Loneliness because of exclusion from peer group;
x.
Inability to adapt to life in the city where there is so much stress
and life pressures; and
xi.
Parents give their children too much pocket money.
Contrary to popular belief, poverty is not linked with drug abuse
unless deprivation is extreme (Hawkins, Catalano & Miller, 1992).
Papalia and Olds (1998) also listed a number of characteristics of
young individuals and the environment that make them likely to misuse
drugs:

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JURNAL ANTIDADAH MALAYSIA
JURNAL ANTIDADAH MALAYSIA
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i.
Poor impulse control and a tendency to seek out sensation rather
than to avoid harm (which may have a biochemical basis),
ii.
Family influences (such as a genetic predisposition to
alcoholism, parental use or acceptance of drugs, poor or
inconsistent parenting practices, family conflicts, and troubled
or distant family relationships),
iii.
Difficult temperament,
iv.
Early and persistent behavior problems, particularly aggression,
v.
Academic failure and lack of commitment to education,
vi.
Peer rejection,
vii. Association with drug users,
viii. Alienation and rebellion,
ix.
Favorable attitudes towards drug abuse, and
x.
Early initiation into drug abuse.
The earlier young people start misusing drugs, the more frequent
they are to use it, and the greater the tendency for them to abuse it.
Based on this discussion, it can be summarized that the reasons
for adolescent students to abuse drugs can be categorized into two main
factors: the individual and the environment. Examples of the sub-
components of the individual are gender, age, race/ethnicity, the number
of siblings, education status, and parental vocational status. On the other
hand, examples of the components of the environment are the location
of the house, type of housing area, and the home environment.
Unfortunately, there are still insufficient studies in the local context that
have looked closer into each of these factors. Therefore, this study is
very significant because it strives to examine some of these demographic
details listed above among students who have been convicted for
committing drug abuse crimes. The selected predictor variables are as
follows:
Gender
An extensive study conducted by Jenkins (1995) has reviewed some
studies to investigate the role of gender in school delinquency. Based
on the review, girls have consistently been found to have lower levels of
delinquency than boys. Riley (1987) provided some explanation for the
findings by reporting that offenses made by teenage girls could be related

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Demographic Determinants of Drug Abuse Problem
Among Secondary School Students in an Urban Area
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more to low levels of parental supervision and negative attitude toward
schools and not peer-group associations which often characterizes crimes
committed by teenage boys. Thus, in the present study, it is expected
that girls would be less likely involved in drug abuse than boys.
Age
Generally, age is positively associated with delinquency (Jenkins, 1995).
The most critical age that signifies serious involvement in delinquency
is during adolescence. Previous studies have shown that serious
involvement in delinquency rose during early adolescence and peaked
in the middle to late teens (Dusek, 1987; Gottfredson & Hirschi, 1990).
However, there was no specific age range mentioned in those studies.
Papalia and Olds (1998) provided some information concerning age-
specific rates for the prevalence of high-risk behaviors. They commented
that across ethnic and social-class lines, many young adolescents (aged
12 to 14) used drugs, drove while being intoxicated, and are sexually
active. They further argued that these behaviors increased throughout
the teenage years. For these reasons, it is predicted that as age increases,
the involvement in drug abuse also increases.