Factors Influencing the Use of Drugs Among College Students: Basis for Students Services Program

Abstract

The educational institutions in the Philippines today have been mandated by law to include in their academic curriculum a program on drug education. The study intends to find out the factors influencing the use of drugs among college students. The study used the descriptive method. It describes the factors influencing the use of drugs among college students. The respondents of the study were the college students whose drug testing results were positive. The research respondents were composed of 54% respondents from the College of Hospitality and Business Administration, 27% of respondents from the College of Computer Studies and 19% of respondents from the College of Criminology. The findings affirmed Andrews & Bonta (2014) that Social Psychological learning theory focuses on how positive social influences by drug-using peers reinforces the attraction to drugs. The theory focuses more on how the internal states of drug users are affected by a social relationship within families, peer, environment and another close more or far relationship. The Social Psychological learning theory clearly emphasized that the common factors influenced to use the drug are strongly the family, environment, and peers. Thus, majority of respondents are influenced by common factors.