Influence of Preoccupied Parental Attachment Behavioural Patterns on Public Day Secondary School Students’ Involvement in Drug Abuse in Soy Sub-County, Kenya

Parental attachment behavioural pattern is crucial for the child’s emotional development, sense of security, and ability to regulate emotions and behaviours. This study investigated the influence of preoccupied parental attachment behavioural patterns on students’ involvement in drug abuse in public day secondary schools in Soy Sub-County, Kenya. This was in response to the fact that drug abuse has been on an upward trajectory among secondary school students, leading to increased crime rates, truancy, and poor physical, social, and mental health among learners. Guided by John Bowlby’s (1907–1990) Attachment theory, the study employed an embedded mixed-methods research design, combining an ex post facto quantitative approach with a phenomenological qualitative approach. It targeted 2167 Form Two students, 40 deputy principals, and 40 teachers from the Guidance and Counselling departments. A multistage sampling procedure was used to select 13 deputy principals, 13 teachers and 379 Form Two students. Data was collected using a questionnaire and an in-depth interview. Quantitative data was analysed using frequencies and percentages, and qualitative data were analysed thematically. The findings indicated a statistically significant relationship (p=0.004) between preoccupied attachment behavioural patterns of parents and students’ engagement in drug abuse. The study concluded that preoccupied attachment behavioural patterns, characterised by anxiety, unpredictability, and being overly reliant upon parental figures, were associated with higher rates of drug abuse among students. Parents should be encouraged to promote consistency with emotions and avoid generating behaviours that put children in a state of anxiety