Peer pressure, locus of control and substance abuse among adolescents in Skyland High School and Central College Bugiri - Bugiri District

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between peer pressure, locus of control, and substance abuse among adolescents in Skyland High School and Central College Bugiri-Bugiri District, Uganda. The objectives were to examine the relationships between peer pressure and locus of control, locus of control and substance abuse, and peer pressure and substance abuse. A crosssectional correlational survey design was used. A sample of 88 adolescents, determined using Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) framework and drawn from a population of 155 through stratified and simple random sampling, completed a structured self-administered questionnaire containing validated scales for the three variables, and all 88 questionnaires were returned (100% response rate). Data were analysed using SPSS, with descriptive statistics summarising respondents’ characteristics and Pearson’s correlation tested at the 0.05 level of significance. Peer pressure was moderately and positively related to locus of control (r = .456, p < .001), locus of control was strongly and positively related to substance abuse (r = .725, p < .001), and peer pressure was moderately and positively related to substance abuse (r = .412, p < .001). The study concluded that the three variables are significantly related, with locus of control most strongly related to substance abuse. Adolescents with a more external locus of control, and those more susceptible to peer pressure, reported higher substance abuse. It is recommended that schools and guidance and counselling departments strengthen adolescents’ sense of personal control and resistance to negative peer influence through life-skills, decision-making, and refusal-skills training, with support from parents and education authorities.