Family Issues on Effectiveness of Substance Abuse Preventive Measures among Secondary Schools in Kakamega County, Kenya

The rising prevalence of youth involvement in substance abuse is a global issue that requires immediate attention.The critical need everywhere in the 21 century world is to prepare students to lead healthy lives by providing them with relevant educational programmes inclusive of family matters. The study examined influence of family issues on effectiveness of substance abuse preventive measures among secondary school students in Kakamega County through mixed design. The target population was 59675 form three students, 1080 class teachers, 530 G/C teachers and 12 parent representatives in the study area. Multi-stage sampling, simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used to select sample size; 381 students, 108 class teachers, 53 G/C and 12 parent representatives. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design.Structured questionnaires, focus group discussion guide and interview guide were used to collect data which was subjected to descriptive statistics, correlation and simple linear regression. Qualitative data was transcribed, analysed and reported according to emerging themes. Supervisors were consulted to determine the face, content, and construct validity of the instruments while reliability was tested using split half method and Cronbach’s alpha of reliability coefficient index for data collection instruments was above 0.8 both for teachers and students. The study established that there was a strong positive association (r=.730, p<.01, N=270; r=.768, p<.01, N=59) between influence of family issues and effectiveness of substance abuse preventive interventions. The study further established that family issues significantly influence effectiveness of substance abuse preventive measures, thus, F (1, 269) = 415.202, P<.05 and where F (1, 58) = 24.071, P<.05. The study concludes that family issues significantly influence effectiveness of substance abuse preventive measures. Based on conclusion, it was therefore recommended that schools should increase forums on parent-child communication so as to work on role modeling as an effective target in substance abuse preventive measures.