Problematic substance use and its associated factors among street youth in Bahir Dar city, Ethiopia

Abstract

BackgroundProblematic substance use is becoming a common problem in marginalized groups such as street youths. However, there is a dearth of studies on the prevalence and factors associated with problematic substance use among street youth in Ethiopia.ObjectiveThe objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of problematic substance use and identify its associated factors among street youth.MethodsThis community-based cross-sectional study was conducted between June and July 2020. A total of 252 participants were included in this study. Systematic random sampling was used to recruit participants. Cut down, annoyed, guilty feeling, and eye opening-adapted to include drugs (CAGE-AIDs) were used to assess problematic substance use. The data were entered into epidata and exported to SPSS version 25 for analysis. Logistic regression with a 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to show the strength of association. A p-value < 0.5 was statistically significant.ResultsThe prevalence of problematic substance use was 55.8%, 95% CI (49–63%). Peer pressure [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 3.01, 95% CI: 1.38, 6.59], family conflict [AOR = 5.05, 95% CI: 1.67, 15.25], physical abuse [AOR = 2.56, 95% CI: 1.11, 5.84], and substance use in the family [AOR = 2.85, 95% CI: 1.29, 6.27] were the factors significantly associated with problematic substance use.ConclusionThe prevalence of problematic substance use was high. It was also found that peer pressure, family conflict, substance use in the family, and physical abuse were the factors associated with problematic substance use. Therefore, proper screening and intervention for individuals with problematic substance use are needed, and further research should be conducted for marginalized groups.

“Like rubbing salt into the wound”: Lived experiences of homeless youth in Gondar City, Ethiopia

“…This study revealed that there were a variety of factors including poverty, unemployment, family conflict and substance abuse that led the youth in the study to leave home for streets. This finding corroborates results of previous studies (Abebe, 2007;Demewozu, 2005;Shegaw et al, 2022). However, disability, alcoholic family, and displacement, which were commonly cited push factors in the previous studies, were not mentioned by this study participant as reasons for leaving home.…”

“…While there may be a variety of reasons why a particular youth becomes homeless in urban areas, the research literature has identified some common factors. These include alcoholic families and parental conflict, poverty, unemployment, school violence, fast rising cost of living, high rates of population growth, rural-urban migration and displacement, disability, and inappropriate public policies (Abebe, 2008;Demewozu, 2005;Melese and Addis, 2020;Shegaw et al, 2022) and the search for a lost family pushed children and adolescents to the street whereas peer pressure or company of friends drew them there (Mathebula and Ross, 2013).…”

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“…The synthetic characteristics of Kush, akin to other emerging psychoactive substances, present profound risks to public health. The diversity and often unsupervised nature of these compounds' chemical structures contribute to unpredictable and severe health outcomes [4][5][6][7][8]. These outcomes are comparable to the detrimental effects of xylazine, colloquially termed the "Zombie" drug, which, when used in conjunction with fentanyl, has been associated with a troubling rise in overdose fatalities internationally [5,9,10].…”