ArticleSubstance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy2019
A qualitative study of drivers of psychoactive substance use among Mekelle University students, Northern Ethiopia.
Article in Substance abuse treatment, prevention, and policy, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Qualitative Analysis of Substance Uses Among Wollega University Undergraduate Students, Wollega, Western Ethiopia, 2025: An Exploratory Qualitative Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
- Article
- Barriers and Facilitators to Smoking Cessation Among University Students: A Scoping Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2025Article
- Burden of alcohol and other substance use and correlates among undergraduate students at Busitema University in rural Eastern Uganda after COVID-19 lockdown.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Use of psychoactive substances among university students from 2019 to 2020: A systematic review.Brain, behavior, & immunity - health · 2024Article
- Article
- Article
- "If I don't smoke shisha, I won't be able to sleep": lived experiences of high school students in Ethiopia.Journal of global health reports · 2022Article
- Prevalence and risk factors of psychoactive substance abuse among students in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Annals of medicine and surgery (2012) · 2021Review
- A qualitative study to understand drivers of psychoactive substance use among Nepalese youth.PloS one · 2021Article
- Why are Youth Engaged in Substance Use? A Qualitative Study Exploring Substance Use and Risk Factors Among the Youth of Jimma Town, Southwest Ethiopia.Substance abuse and rehabilitation · 2021Article
- The Association between Sociocultural Factors and Substance Use among Haramaya University Students.Substance abuse : research and treatment · 2021Article
- Prevalence of, Factors Associated with and Level of Dependence of Psychoactive Substance Use among Mekelle University Students, Ethiopia.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Socio-ecological influences of adolescence marijuana use initiation: Qualitative evidence from two illicit marijuana-growing communities in South Africa.The South African journal of psychiatry : SAJP : the journal of the Society of Psychiatrists of South Africa · 2020Article
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
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Abstract
backgroundPsychoactive substance (PS) use is a public health concern among University students. Understanding the factors underlay the use helps to underpin effective preventive interventions. However, there is dearth of exploratory studies on the drivers of psychoactive substance use in Ethiopian universities. Here, we aimed to explore the drivers for psychoactive substance use among Mekelle University undergraduate students.
methodsExploratory qualitative study was conducted from April 1 to May 30, 2017. We conducted five focus group discussions (FGDs) and eleven in-depth interviews (IDIs) with students, proctors and bar owners. We also conducted three round interviews within two weeks interval with each of four key-informant researchers (KIR). Participants were selected purposively and the investigators conducted the discussions and the interviews using semi-structured guides. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and imported into qualitative data analysis software for coding and analysis. An inductive approach was applied to crystalize non-repetitive emerging themes overarching the drivers for psychoactive substance use among university students.
resultsThe following themes emerged as drivers for psychoactive substance use among University students; (1)feeling helpless following detachment from family, (2) prior experience with substances, (3) socialization reasons, (4) low academic performance, (5) physical environment (explained by easy access to substance and limited recreational alternatives), and (6) sub-optimal organizational support.
conclusionsMultiple drivers that range from individual to structural levels are involved in university student's use of psychoactive substances, with socialization process at the center of the factors. Thus, the study appeals for a range of multifaceted interventions directed to the individual, interpersonal and organizational level factors.
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