Self-Esteem, depression and substance abuse among school going adolescents

Abstract

Adolescent substance abuse is a life-threatening societal predicament, associated with increased illness and death (Measelle, Stice & Springer, 2006). The study aimed at examining the relationship between self-esteem, depression and substance abuse among adolescents. It was carried out in St. Marks College Namagoma. A sample of 120 male and female respondents aged between 11-22 years were selected and a cross-sectional survey design was used. A purpose constructed self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data which was later analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Scientists (SPSS version 23.0). Pearson`s Correlation Coefficient (r) was used to measure the level of significance of hypotheses and results revealed that there is a significant relationship between self-esteem and depression among adolescents; there is no significant relationship between self-esteem and substance abuse and lastly, there is a significant relationship between depression and substance abuse.