A Study on Adolescents Drug Abuse and the Influence Factors of the Potential Drug use in a City - Middle and High School Students in Gwangju City -
Authors: Lee Chung Sook , Kim Soo Jin , Kweon Young Ran 
Published: September 2024

Purpose of this study was to assess the adolescents' drug abuse and the influence factors of the potential drug use. Research method used in this study was descriptive survey research.The total subjects of this study were 1714 Middle and High School Students in Gwangju city. The data were collected from October 22 to November 5, 2004 and analysed by Frequency test, x'test, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression Using the SPSS Program.The results were as follows. 1) In terms of smoking experience for last 1 year, 7.5% of the middle school students, 11.3% of the high school students, and 34.5% of the vocational high school students had a smoking experience. In terms of drinking experience for last 1 year, 30.7% of the middle school students, 52.8% of the high school students, 67.5% of the vocational high school students had a drinking experience. In term of drug using for last 1 year, 2.4% of the middle school students, 3.0% of the high school students, 2.9% of the vocational high school students had a drug using experience. 2) In term of the smoking level, the middle school students were the mean of 15.06, the high school students were the mean of 15.67, and the vocational high school students were the mean of 19.90. In term of the drinking level, the middle school students were the mean of 14.07, the high school students were the mean of 15.69, and the vocational high school students were the mean of 18.69. In term of the drug using level, the middle school students were the mean of 14.46, the high school students were the mean of 14.34, and the vocational high school students were the mean of 14.46. 3) In the distribution of the potential adolescents* substance problem, there were 3.6% of the middle school students, 10.3% of the high school students, and 25.6% of the vacational high school students. In term of the drug using level of the subjects, the potential group was the mean of 78.97 and the non-potential group was the mean of 51.69 in the middle school students, the potential group was the mean of 79.32 and the non-potential group was the mean of 55.97 in the high school students, and the potential group was the mean of 81.04 and the non-potential group was the mean of 59.62 in the vocational high school students. 4) In tenns of the potential substance problem level based on the general characteristics of the subjects, there was significant difference in gender(t=2.253, p=.O26), economic status(F=3.984, p=.O22), father's graduated school(F=3.344, p^.038) in the potential group, and there was signigicant difference in all characteristics excepted parents' living together in the non-potential group. 5) In terms of the drug experience, there was significant difference between the potential and non-potential group by smoking experience (x 2 =447.082, p=.000), 68.0% of the subjects had a smoking experience and 32.0% of the subjects had not a smoking experience in the potential group, and 8.6% of the subjects had a smoking experience and 91.4% of the subjects had not a smoking experience in the non-potential group. There was significant difference between the potential and non-potential group by drinking experience (x <sup>2</sup> = 161.014, p=.000), 89.3% of the subjects had a drinking experience and 10.7% of the subjects had not a drinking experience in the potential group, and 39.4% of the subjects had a drinking experience and 60.0% of the subjects had not a drinking experience in the non-potential group. There was significant difference between the potential and non-potental group by smoking experience (x<sup>2</sup>=25.855, p=.000), 9.0% of the subjects had a drug using experience and 91.0% of the subjects had not a drug using experience in the potential group, and 2.2% of the subjects had a drug using experience and 97.8% of the subjects had not a drug using experience in the non-potential group. 6. The significant predictor of the risk factors for the adolescents' drug use was adolescents' drinking level(t=14.529, <i>p</i>=.000) that explained 31.9% of the potential drug use. The following order was smoking level, school type, school performance, economic status, and these 5 factors explained 46.7% of the potential substance problem. Thus this study concluded that the adolescents who had the smoking, drinking, and drug using experience oi were in potential drug using group were significant difference among the middle, high, and vacational high school students. Therefore, it is required that the adolescents are offered substance abuse prevention program based on their grade or substance using level.