Stress, substance use and academic performance among Psychology students at Makerere University, Kampala.

Abstract

This research examined the relationship between stress, substance use, and academic performance among psychology students at Makerere University. A correlational study design was employed and standardized questionnaire was used to gather data from 100 randomly selected students. Data was analyzed using SPSS software version 23. The study revealed that Majority of respondents are male (59%), a significant proportion of fell within the age range of 20-30 years (72%) and majority are single (68%). Regression analysis showed that substance use negatively affects academic performance (B=-.220), with a significant p-value of (.006) which is less than the standard cutoff of 0.05. This indicate that this result is statistically significant. Therefore, there is a significant negative relationship between substance use and academic performance, accepting the second hypothesis. In contrast, no significant relationship was identified between stress and academic performance or between stress and substance use, leading to the rejecting of the other two hypotheses. Following negative correlation between substance use and academic performance, recommendation such as developing and implementing strong policies against substance use on campus with appropriate penalties for defaulters, creating a comprehensive drug education program that provides the students with the correct information about the negative impact of substance use both on physical health and academic performance including the legal consequences and Provision of counselling services Counseling services for students who are struggling with substance abuse.