Qualitative Research
Introduction
Drug addiction is among the top problems of the world. Drug addiction affects everyone may they be young or old, rich or poor, educated or not. Drug addiction greatly affects the society. Drug addiction is now a major problem among adolescents. The aim of this paper is to present a new research topic that can be of significant help when it comes to informing and educating the general public about drug addition among adolescents.
What is Qualitative Research?
According to Newman and Benz (1998) a qualitative research involves an interpretative, naturalistic approach of the subject matter. Qualitative research is about studying things in their natural settings. A researcher conducting qualitative research attempts to make sense of, or interpret, phenomena in terms of the meaning people bring to them. Qualitative research involves different methods of gathering and collecting of empirical materials such as case study personal experience, introspective, life story, interview, observational, historical, interactions, and visual texts. The qualitative research according to Maycut and Morehouse (1994) generally examines people’s words and actions in narrative or descriptive ways more closely representing the situation as experienced by the participants.
Peer Influence on Early Adolescent Drug Use
Adolescence Defined
The period of adolescence is between the ages of 13 and 18. During this period, physical and psychological growth go through major development, and hormonal changes accelerate sexual maturation. Adolescents often feel awkward and insecure because of the changes that they experience. Adolescence is a time of frustration, anger and rebellion. During this stage, the adolescent seek peer affiliation and acceptance. During this stage, the need for acceptance, praise and approval by peers is profound. Adolescents tend to experiment with extremes of values and behaviors, and they are often confused and scared (Milhorn 1994). Adolescence is also a period of exploration, risk taking and sensation seeking. Often the experimentation and risk-taking activities of the adolescents lead to experimenting with drugs.
Mackenzie and Jacobs (1987) have identified several reasons why adolescents use drugs. These reasons are:
- as recreation
- as a rite of passage
- as a socializer
- for a new experience
- in order to conform
- to reduce stress
- to relieve anxiety
- in rebellion
- in self-exploration
- to relive depression
- to solve personal problems
Objective of the Study
The objective of the study is to determine the influence of peer pressure on early adolescent drug abuse. There have been wide empirical researches regarding the social factors that influence drug abuse among adolescents. Peer pressure and influence rank as one of the major contributor to drug abuse. The focus of this study is to determine whether peer influence affect the decision to use illicit drugs among early adolescents’ ages 11 to 13. There is currently limited literature regarding the subject. The aim of the researcher is to add information and to present new facts regarding adolescent drug abuse.
The researcher will conduct a qualitative research in the form of in-depth interviews. The in-depth interview will include early adolescent students, parents and health workers.
Existing Research in the Area
Drug Abuse in Adolescents
Social Factors
There is a wide agreement among researchers that substance abuse is a social disease and that social relationships contribute to the risk of substance abuse (Ellickson 1995). Researchers agree that substance abuse is spread throughout the community trough interpersonal communication and the community’s transmission of its norms and standards. Close friends and members of cliques directly influence each other (Steinberg 1996).
There are different social factors that affect drug abuse. One of these is social deprivation. Social deprivation is a term generally used to incorporate poverty, inadequate housing and living conditions, and constrained access to education, transport, work and recreation. Deprivation is considered as a factor in drug abuse (Peterson 2002). Family and peer pressures can increase or decrease the risk of substance abuse. According to Jacob (1987), the risk of developing substance abuse among people who were raised in a dysfunctional family setting, especially those who were exposed to drug and alcohol problems is high. Moreover, children who experienced physical and sexual abuse have a high potential to develop substance abuse. Adolescents are influenced by their peers. Because of peer influence and social pressure, many adolescents engage in risk-taking behaviors. These adolescents run a high risk of committing various antisocial and delinquent acts, including substance abuse (White et al 1990). Lack of parental supervision and the lack of alternative recreational activities further increase the risk of substance abuse (Hawkins et al 1992). Gang membership and participation is also seen as a risk for substance abuse. Society as a whole serves to promote reliance on alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs as an access to an exciting life. In addition, the media is also seen as a contributing factor to the growing problem in substance abuse. Advertisements tend to glamorize and sensationalize drinking, smoking and drug use in the eyes of young viewers.
Social influence (Bandura 1977), resistance to social influence (McGuire 1964), and coping, adaptation and social deviance (Jessor 1992) are relevant to drug use. Research into the relation between drug use and measure of these concepts consistently indicates that social pressure is an important risk factor.
Adolescence, Peer Influence and Drug Abuse
The period of adolescence is a developmental period that poses many challenges. It is the period when young people go through many biological, social and psychological changes. This is a period of quick change marked by the onset of puberty, a growth burst and the development of secondary sex characteristics. The adolescent child also develops an abstract cognitive thinking. Social interactions remain largely with peers during this stage. During the adolescent stage, the child also moves away from his or her family and home environment in order to develop their own identity. Adolescents tend to be risk takers. They feel invulnerable. They also feel stress brought about by the transition. According to Spooner et al (2001) adolescence is the time when most substance abuse is initiated. Experimentation and infrequent drug use tend to be more related to peer and social factors.
The reasons why young people use drugs are varied. Some use drugs for functional reasons, such as rebellion, sensation-seeking, pleasure, curiosity, social binding, attaining peer status, alleviating boredom, escaping or coping with reality. Young people may also use substances for symbolic reasons, such as expression of solidarity or to demarcate social boundaries (Paglia and Room 1998).
Research consistently indicates that family factors and peer associations are the most important contributors to substance use in adolescence. Inadequate social support, stressful life events, societal pressures, and physical and sexual abuse have been increasingly associated with heavy substance use in adolescents, especially young women. Adolescent substance abusers often have co-existing problems – with family, school or job; medical or emotional issues; social relationships; or leisure – which may have existed before substance abuse or may have arisen from substance abuse (Roberts and Ogborne 1999).
Being influenced by friends to use drugs is considered as a top contributor to adolescent drug use (Petraitis et al 1994). According to White et al (1990) friends have a big influence in drug abuse. Adolescents engage in risk-taking behaviors because of peer influence. One of these risk-taking behaviors is drug abuse. Peer pressure is most powerful during adolescence. They are insecure about their identity and judgments and are therefore more subject to the influence of other (Steinberg 1996). Aversive life circumstances frustrate normal developmental needs. These frustrations exert indirect pressures to use drugs, which are amplified as adults and peers offer social incentives, and advocate or model drug use.
Substance Use: Stages
There are six common stages for substance use. These are:
Priming
Priming occurs when the young person learns about the existence of substances through friends, family, media, or other means and acquires early notions about the acceptability or unacceptability of substance abuse.
Initiation
After priming, initiation follows. This happens when the young person tries a substance for the first time. The manner in which this initiation takes place, together with the early childhood priming, is significant in defining a future relationship with drugs.
Experimentation
At this stage, the user generally regards substance use as enjoyable experience with no significant negative consequences.
Habit Formation
If use continues, the individual can progress from acquisition to maintenance. The first stage during maintenance is habitual use, marked by repeated use of a favored substance.
Dependency
If substance use continues, it leads inevitably to dependency when brain functions have changed and call for continued use. At this stage, the individual has lost control over the substance use and experiences a series of grave physical and psychological problems.
Obsessive-Compulsive Use
During this stage, the individual is driven by pursuing substance use behavior as the dominant activity in his or her life if it no longer produces the desired effects (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime 2003).
This model suggests that attitudes and beliefs about drug use is developed and shaped early on. It is important to focus on early adolescents before they develop substance use behaviors. The researcher believes that it is of utmost importance in the prevention and treatment of drug use and abuse if the factors such as peer pressure are identified early. The research will aim to identify to which extent does peer influence affect an early adolescent to use drugs.
Why Conduct a Research?
The researcher believes that the information about the subject is scarce. Although there are many researches that explore peer influence on substance abuse among adolescents, the researcher has not found any that focuses on early adolescents ages 11 to 13. Drug abuse is a very serious social problem. The researcher aims to help educate the public about the factors that influence early adolescents to engage in drug abuse. Through this information, the researcher seeks to help in the early prevention and treatment of the problem.
The researcher believes that a qualitative research method is appropriate in gathering data and information. Through the qualitative research method, the researcher aims to describe the experiences, attitudes and beliefs of the respondents. The qualitative research method will allow the respondents to freely express their ideas, thoughts and emotions about the subject.
Conclusion
Truly, drug addiction is a social disease. There are different social factors and influences that increase the risk of drug addiction. One of the biggest factors that affect the decision to use drugs is peer influence. Adolescence is considered as a problematic and challenging period of life. Adolescents experience many changes and transitions that may make them feel insecure, troubled and rebellious. It is important to determine the factors that influence drug abuse as it can help in the prevention and treatment of the problem.
References
Bandura A. ( 1977). Social learning theory. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Jessor R. ( 1992). Risk behavior in adolescence: A psychosocial framework for understanding action. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
Mackenzie, R. G. and Jacobs, E. A. (1987). Recognizing the Adolescent Drug Abuser. Adolescent Medicine, 14:225-235.
Milhorn, T. H. Jr. (1994). Drug and Alcohol Abuse: The Authoritative Guide for Parents, Teachers, and Counselors. Cambridge MA: Perseus Books.
Paglia, A., and Room, R. (1998). Preventing Substance-use Problems among Youth: A Literature Review and Recommendations. ARF Research Document Series No. 142. (Toronto, Addiction Research Foundation).
Roberts, G., and Ogborne, A. (1999). Best Practice: Substance Abuse Treatment and Rehabilitation. Ottawa, Health Canada.
Spooner, C., Hall. E. and Lynskey, M. (2001). Structural Determinants of Youth Drug Use, ANCD Research Paper 2.
Steinberg L. ( 1996). Beyond the classroom. New York: Simon & Schuster.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (2003), Adolescent Substance Use: Risk and Protection, New York: United Nations.
White, H. R., Bates, M. E., and Johnson, V. (1990). Social Reinforcement and Alcohol Consumption. In W. M. Cox (Ed.), Why People Drink (pp. 233-262). New York: Gardner Press.
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