Acculturation, depression and substance abuse among adolescents

Abstract

Background: The Ministry of Health has revealed that the country recorded more than 85,000 cases of drug and alcohol abuse between 2010 and 2014.

Statement of the Problem: Substance use among adolescents has increasingly been reported over time in schools and the community where majority of adolescents engage in excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs like cocaine, caffeine, marijuana among others. Also peer group pressure, social support from friends and family has been reported to increase substance use in most communities.

Purpose of the Study: To purpose of the study was to examine the factors leading to acculturation, depression and drug abuse among adolescents in Uganda.

Conclusion: According to the research findings, acculturation is associated with very many challenges yet it’s ignored and not given much attention. The research did not reveal the real understanding of acculturation making it a big challenge and portraying a big gap, giving more concerns about carrying out more research to give a clear understanding of acculturation. This therefore means that acculturation among adolescents should be broadly studied by researchers, mental health professionals (to find out its effect on the populations’ mental health), government among the population mentioned in order to come up with solutions and interventions for the problems associated with it.