Peer pressure, stress and substance abuse among adolescents

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between peer pressure, substance abuse and stress among adolescents. The study employed a quantitative correlational study design. A sample of 205 adolescent students both male and female, aged 11-18 years was selected. A self- administered questionnaire was used to collect data and was analysed using statistical package for social scientists (SPSS, version 21). Pearson Correlation Co-efficient(r) was used to test the significance of the hypotheses. Results showed that there is a significant relationship between peer pressure and substance abuse as well as peer pressure and stress. However, results indicated that there is no significant relationship between substance abuse and stress.