Research in Management of Technology and Business Vol. 2 No.

2 (2021) 086-091
© Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia Publisher’s Office

RMTB
Homepage: http://publisher.uthm.edu.my/periodicals/index.php/rmtb
e-ISSN : 2773-5044

The Relationship between Factors of Drug

Abuse and Perception among Youth in Malaysia
Muhammad Ammar Shafi1,* & R. Chandrashekar1
1
Department of Management and Technology, Faculty of Technology Management
and Business, Univeristi Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia, 86400 Batu Pahat, Johor,
MALAYSIA.

*Corresponding Author

DOI: https://doi.org/10.30880/rmtb.2021.02.02.007
Received 30 September 2021; Accepted 01 November 2021; Available online 01 December
2021

Abstract: Drug abuse or substance abuse refers to the use of certain chemicals for the
purpose and it is a common problem among people especially youths. Statistics on
National Anti Drug Agency Malaysia in 2019, 20157 total cases detected with the
majority as a youth (19-39 year). Most of the youth especially students are easily
involved in drug abuse. This problem will effect the generation who would one day
become the leader of the nation. The main purpose of this study was to investigate the
relationship of factors that influence the involvement of youth in drug abuse and 20
respondents who range 13- 21 years old have been conducted by face to face
interview. Three factors applied as the independent variables such as family
relationship, academic stress and peer’s influence. Descriptive and correlation
analysis were applied to get better and precious factors drug abuse among youth. The
case study shows a bad relationship with the family tend to involve in youth to taking
the drug as a tension reliever.

Keywords: Drug abuse, Youth, Descriptive analysis, Correlation analysis

1. Introduction
Nowadays drug abuse is common problem among people, especially youth. There are many reasons
why youth nowadays been an influence with this problem such as curiosity and peer pressure, target
pain relief, recreational purposes and creative inspiration (Kelly et al., 2017). Many types of drug can
be taken by youth such as alcohol, tobacco, cocaine from coca, opium and opioids from poppy plants,
hashish or marijuana from cannabis and synthetic drugs such as heroin, ecstasy and lysergic acid
diethylamide (LSD) (Chan et al., 2016). Youth are the group that more tendency to involve in drug
abuse recently. Based on statistics from the National Anti-Drugs Agency of Malaysia, total cases in
2019 was 20,157 cases with youth 19-39 years old, Malay ethnic and Male gender (Yun and Yusof,
1988). Hence, serious action should be taken for drug abuse among youth problem. The important
factors that been highlight in this study based on the previous study to discover the problem and
overcome drug abuse among youth. Three factors were family relationship, peer’s influence and
academic stress are the factors that are clearly has seen in this drug abuse problem.

*Corresponding author: ammar@uthm.edu.my

2021 UTHM Publisher. All rights reserved.
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 Shafi & Chandrashekar, Research in Management of Technology and Business Vol. 2 No. 2 (2021) p. 86-91

Family is one of the main factors that play role in youth live. family factors causing drug abuse are
parents’ behaviour, the relationship between parents and the individual, the relationship between the
parents, the family atmosphere and, family’s economic standing (Kropenske and Howard, 2004).
Besides that, observations of the family to their children are important and family will respond for youth
in everything. The family is important to be analysed and one of factor that contributes to drug abuse.
This is further proven in the study of 657 adolescents that found them modelling father’s marijuana use
and mother’s cigarette’s use if the parent-child relationship was relatively moderate or good (Rosdi et
al., 2019).
The Peer can be defined as a person of the same age, status, or ability as another specified person.
Based on the survey, most of the youth spent their times with their friends in any environment. This is
because half of the youth’s day spent in school and many activities with their friends. Furthermore,
most of the youth usually trusts their friend more than others. Peer influence is the outcome of
socialization; that is, the peers an individual has to influence his or her behaviour (McAuley et al.,
2012). According to the social development model that explains the growth of pro-social and anti-social
behaviour along human’s life course, amount of involvement with and reinforcement from individuals
who use a substance is an influence for a person’s increased substance use while the amount of pro-
social involvement such as volunteer work is an influence for a person’s decreased substance use
(Williams et al., 2009).
Academic stress in school and higher institutions in Malaysia is increasing due to prolonged strikes
resulting to subject loaded, lack of financial back up for students and economic hardship currently
experienced in Malaysia (Chiam, 1993). These problems put together have compelled students to take
to irrational behaviours such as drug abuse as stress and tension reliver. Besides, with these entire
factors on drug abuse among youth, a study should take action to reduce and overcome this problem
and will give back a big impact if serious actions are not taken.

2. Materials and Methods

2.1 Participants
The sample consist of twenty respondents who ranged in age from 13-21 years and face to face
interview has been conducted. The respondents from all towns in the district of Perak Tengah which
are
• Sri Iskandar
• Parit
• Kampung Buluh Akar
• Tanjung Belanja
• Bota Kanan
• Titi Gantung
• Kampung Gajah

It takes three days to collected and completed the questionnaires from respondents. The respondents
are all in the youth category because the main objective of the study is to determine the relationship
between factors and perception on drug abuse among youth in Malaysia.
Since this study has a big population, multi-stage sampling applied as a sampling method. Firstly,
this study chooses one state in Malaysia which is Perak because it is convenient and easy to get
respondent since researchers stayed at Perak that moment. Perak Tengah district was chosen in this
study because it is closer and certain town chosen as sampling area to get the respondents.

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2.2 Data Collection

The questionnaire that will be answered by respondents consists of 30 questions A self-
administered question has been developed to measure the research variables, as well as to collect
demographic information. The questionnaire consists of five sections which are Section A was
demography information and included 5 open-ended questions, section B was perception on drug abuse
and included 6 closed questions, section C was family relationship and included 7 closed questions,
section D was academic stress and included 6 closed questions and section E was peer’s influence and
included 6 closed questions.
2.3 Methods

(a) Descriptive Analysis

Descriptive statistics are used to describe the basic features of the data in a study. Descriptive
analysis provide simple summaries about the sample and the measures such as the distribution
(percentages), the central tendency (mean, median and mode) and the dispersion (range, standard
deviation and variance)
(b) Correlation Analysis
Correlation is used to test relationships between independent variables and dependent variable. In
other words, it is a measure of how things are related and how variables are correlated is called
correlation analysis.

Σ ( xi − x )( yi − y )
r=
Σ ( xi − x ) ( yi − y )
2 2

r = correlation coefficient
xi = values of the x-variable in a sample
x = mean of the values of the x-variable
yi = values of the y-variable in a sample
y = mean of the values of the y-variable

3. Results and Discussion

3.1 Demographic Analysis

Demographic analysis is a technique used to develop an understanding the frequency and
percentage for the gender, age, current status, staying with and describe the area live in by respondents
in Table 1.
Table 1: Demographic information of respondents
Demographic Details Frequency Percentage%
Gender Male 13 65
Female 7 35
Age 13-15 years old 2 10
16-18 years old 10 50
19-21 years old 8 40
Current Status Secondary school student 10 50

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University/college student 6 30
Working 3 15
Others 1 5
Staying with Your family 13 65
Hostel 4 20
Rented a house 3 15
Others 0 0
Describe the area live in Urban 6 30
Rural 14 70

Demographic analysis shows out of 20 repondents 13 are male (65%) respondents while seven of
respondents are female.
Two (10%) of respondents are from 13-15 years old, ten (50%) are from 16-18 years old and eight
(40%) of the respondents are 19-21 yars old.
The number of secondary school student are ten (50%) respondents, six (30%) are from university
or college student, three (15%) are working respondents and one (5%) is other.
Thirteen (65%) respondents stay with family, four (20%) stay at hostel and three (15%) rented a
house for live.
Out of 20 respondents, 6 (30%) live in urban and 14 (70%) respondents live in rural.
3.2 Descriptive analysis

Descriptive statistics are used to describe the basic features of the data in a study and provide simple
summaries about the sample and the measures such as mean and interpretation for perception on drug
abuse, family relationship, academic stress and peer’s influence variable as shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Results of descriptive analysis

Variable Mean Interpretation

Perception on drug abuse 4.27 High
Family relationship 4.31 High
Academic stress 4.08 High
Peer’s influence 4.19 High

Based on the results in Table 2, variable of family relationship has the highest mean value is 4.31.
Follow by perception on drug abuse is 4.27, peer’s influence is 4.19 and academic stress is 4.08.
3.3 Normality Test
The data in Table 3 shows that the Shapiro-Wilk test was used in this normality test because the
respondent is lower than 50. Based on the table, the result shows that p-value is 0.001 which mean
lower than 0.05 (0.000 < 0.05), thus the data is not normally distributed. Since the data is not normal,
non-parametric test will be used.

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Table 3: Results of normality test

Tests of Normality
Kolmogorov-Smirnov Shapiro-Wilk
Statistic df Sig. Statistic df Sig.
Perception on drug abuse 0.304 20 0.000 0.804 20 0.001

3.4 Correlation Analysis

Table 4 shows Spearman's correlation coefficient between perception on drug abuse and family
relationship is 0.930 and that this is statistically significant (p = 0.007). Moreover, Spearman's
correlation coefficient between perception on drug abuse and academic stress is 0.540 and that this is
statistically significant (p = 0.000) and Spearman's correlation coefficient between perception on drug
abuse and peer’s influence is 0.750 and that this is statistically significant (p = 0.001).

Table 4: Results of correlation analysis

Spearman's rho
Perception on drug abuse
Variables Correlation Coefficient Significant value
Family relationship 0.930 0.007
Academic stress 0.540 0.000
Peer’s influence 0.750 0.001

There was a strong, positive correlation between perception on drug abuse and family relationship,
which was statistically significant (correlation coefficient = 0.930, p= 0.007) and there also was strong,
positive correlation between perception on drug abuse and peer’s influence, which was statistically
significant (correlation coefficient = 0.750, p = 0.001) and there was a moderate, positive correlation
between perception on drug abuse and academic stress, which was statistically significant (correlation
coefficient = 0.540, P = 0.000).

4 Conclusion
This study is about drug abuse among youths. Through the pilot study, the study manages to get 20
respondents where there are 7 female and 13 male of youths. Majority of the respondents are ranged
from the age of 16-18 years old and as a secondary school students. Most of the respondents are staying
with their family and mostly from the rural area which 14 out of 20 respondents.
Furthermore, based on the results that youth have a bad relationship with their family and tend to
involve in taking the drug by the highest value of correlation. Besides that, family backgrounds are one
of the factors that influence youths in drug abuse.
There are still much youths that doesn’t realise that there are agencies that contribute to overcomig
this drug problem. There are also youth don’t know that Malaysia country taking drug problem as a
serious problem and many campaigns that has been done by our government.
Drug abuse among youths can become a serious problem when this situation going on. Serious
action should be taken to overcome this problem. Government and the non-government agency should
take serious action such as be more active to tell people about the drug by doing more campaign,
especially in the rural area.

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Acknowledgement
This research is part of Technology & Innovation Management Focus Group activities in
developing student competencies. Special thanks to the Faculty of Technology Management and
Business and UTHM in general.

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