The role of social factors in the use of licit drugs among university students from one university in Kingston, Jamaica

Abstract

A quantitative, descriptive and exploratory study, with a cross-sectional design aimed at examining whether social factors are related to licit drug use among university students in one university in Kingston, Jamaica. The non-probabilistic sample was composed of 335 students from a specific university in Kingston, Jamaica. A questionnaire was developed with five validated scales that interrogated about the influence of the peer group, the family relationships, the entertainment, the spirituality, and drug consumption. The data indicated that respondents with one or more friend who engaged in drug use were 9.5 times more likely to smoke tobacco and twice as likely to consume alcohol. Notably, respondents who had low spirituality were twice as likely to smoke tobacco and 1.3 times more likely to consume alcohol. These results suggest that having friends who use drugs may be a risk factor for alcohol and tobacco use, whereas greater spirituality may serve as a protective factor.