Substance Abuse among Senior High School Students in Ghana

Abstract

This study examined the abuse of substances among senior high school students in Cape Coast and Kumasi in Ghana. A sample of 244 students (40.5% males, 59.5% females; mean age =18.4 years) completed the Adolescent Alcohol and Drug Involvement Scale. A series of one-way analysis of variance tests (ANOVA) was used to determine the existence of any significant differences among variables. The results indicate that the mean AADIS scores (N=244; M=13.86; SD=16.436) was low. There were significant differences in gender F (1, 240) = 68.105, p < .001; age F(1, 240) = 28.273, p < .001; boarding and day students F(1, 240) = 13.287, p < .001; relationships F(1, 240) = 14.647, p < .001; locations F(2, 239) = 9.024, p < .001, and religion F(1, 240) = 9.371, p = .002. The results of this study clearly indicate a lower prevalence of substance use among senior high school students than those reported in other African countries and western countries.