SOCIAL STUDIES SCHOOL BASED ASSESSMENT

Candidate’s names: Kadeejah Daley

Naiy-Leah Buchann

Ariana Shearer

Jenesia Taylor

Nickalia Walker

Natassia Falconer

School: Hampton School

Centre #:

Candidate #:

Subject: Social Studies

Territory: Jamaica

Teacher: Mr. R. Ebanks

Year: 2024

TITLE: Drug Abuse

DRUG ABUSE
 Table of content

Acknowledgement ………………………………………………………….. 2

Statement of the Problem …………………………………………………… 2

Research Questions …………………………………………………………. 3

Rationale …………………………………………………………………….. 4

Method of Investigation ……………………………………………………… 5

Instrument Used to Collect Data ……………………………………………… 6

Data collection method ……………………………………………… 10

Presentation and Explanation of Data ………………………………………… 11

Analysis and Interpretation of Data …………………………………………… 15

Findings ………………………………………………………………………… 17

Recommendation and Implementation of Strategy …………………………….. 18

Topic : Drug abuse

Acknowledgement : We would like to take the time out to thank each other for their

cooperation and dedication to this sba. We would also like to thank our teacher for

guiding us through this time and helping us where we needed his help and we would also

like to thank God for giving us the knowledge and understanding to complete this.

Statement of the problem: How does drugs affect the youths of the 100 lane community

in St. Elizabeth age ranging from 14-18 ?

Research question :

1. What are the main factors that cause youths ages 14-18 to use drugs in the

community of 100 lane?

2. How does drugs affect the youths of 100 lane ages 14-18?

3. What are some measures that can be put in place to reduce the usage of drugs in

the community of 100 lane?

Rationale

The investigators became aware of this issue in the community of 100 lane through

observing the behavior of youths age ranging from 14-18. Seeing that drug abuse is a

pressing social issue in communities, the researchers aim to become more educated and

share knowledge obtained from this to educate others about the negative effects drug

abuse has on youths. Moreover, we wish to highlight reasons why young people would

turn to the usage of drugs, where this research will aid to minimize the participation of

youths who use drugs in the 100 lane community. By observing these reasons teens resort

to the use of drugs, researchers can now suggest rehabilitation measures in communities

through assigning members of clubs or organizations to speak to them about the

consequences of what they are doing to their bodies and health.

Method of Investigation:

Our method for collecting information for the research will be through

questionnaires.Questionnaires allow standardized data collection,meaning that

participants receive the same set of questions which contributes to consistency and

comparability of responses.

Three advantages using a questionnaire:

Cost-effective method for gathering data from a large number of people

It requires little time to be completed

It is classified as persons are not required to write their names or personal information
Instrument used to collect data:

Questionnaire:

1. Gender

Male ( )

Female ( )

2. How old are you?

14( )

15( )

16( )

17( )

18( )

3. What is the main factor causing drug abuse among youths in the community?

Lack of education ( )

Lack of parental control ( )

Peer pressure ( )

Curiosity ( )

4. How do you think drug abuse affects youths of this community?

Negatively ( )

Positively ( )

Not sure ( )
5. What drug is the most easily accessible in this community?

Marijuana ( )

Cocaine ( )

Heroin ( )

Methamphetamine ( )

6. How do you think drug abuse influences the community’s image?

Negatively ( )

Positively ( )

Neither ( )

7. How aware are you of the drug related issues around the community?

Very aware ( )

Unaware ( )

Neutral ( )

8. Do you have any personal experiences with drug abuse?

Yes ( )

No ( )

Rather not say ( )

9. If yes, how did you cope?

 Exploring treatment options( )

Practice healthy coping mechanisms( )

Seek emotional support( )

All of the above( )

10. How would you help persons suffering with drug abuse?

Provide emotional support ( )

Restrict allowances( )

Rehabilitation centers ( )

Home confinement ( )

11. What are some issues associated with drug abuse that you are aware of?

Depression ( )

Anxiety ( )

Psychotic symptoms ( )

Addiction ( )

12. Are you aware of the sources of drugs within the community?

Yes ( )

No( )

Rather not say( )

13. Do you believe that some drugs have beneficial tendencies?

Yes ( )

No ( )
 Neutral ( )

14. Would you voluntarily assist in drug abuse control within this community?

Yes ( )

No ( )

Not sure ( )

15. What are ways you think drug abuse can be reduced in this community?

Special police force ( )

Counseling centers( )

Educating youths of drug effects( )

All of the above ( )

Procedure used to collect data:

The 100 lane community was chosen based on the behavior of young people in this area

and how they act on the streets. Also taken into consideration is the number of successful

youths who have graduated or are doing well in school from this small community. The

questionnaire was handed out to 20 persons in the community, both males and females

who are between the ages of 14-18 and are currently still in school, graduated and/or

dropped out. This questionnaire was handed out to persons within the community who

would have observed the behaviors of these teens and were returned to the local church

for collection by the researcher four days after.

 Data Collection Method

What is the main cause of drug abuse among youths in the community?

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows the percentage of potential causes of drug abuse in the 100 lane

community, 40% thought it was peer pressure, 30% thought it was lack of parental

guidance, 20% thought it was curiosity, and 10% thought it was lack of education.
 Figure 2

What are some issues associated with drug abuse that you are aware of?

Figure 2 shows the percentage of of persons that thinks these are some popular

issues that are associated with drug abuse. As shown above 20% chose depression,

15% chose psychotic symptoms, 30% chose addiction and the remaining 35% chose

anxiety.
How would you help persons suffering with drug abuse?

How would you help a person struggling

with drug addiction?

Responses

Provide emotional support 10

Restrict allowances 5

Rehabilitation 3

Home confinement 2

Figure 3 shows ways in which people would consider helping persons struggling

with drug addiction. 10 out of 20 persons chose to provide emotional support, out of

the remaining 10 5 chose to restrict allowances, 3 chose rehabilitation and the

remaining two chose home confinement.

Analysis and Interpretation of data:

Through an extensive analysis and interpretation of the data accumulated from the

questionnaire, concerning the most widespread issue causing youths to take part in the

usage of drugs, reveals fascinating insights into the distinguished influences on drug

abuse within the community of 100 lane, St. Elizabeth. Considering that majority of the

responses suggests that 40%, recognise that peer pressure is the most widespread factor

steering youths to use drugs. This suggests the importance that peers play in shaping the

choices of young individuals. Peer pressure could derive from the need to be accepted

socially or the need to adhere to the status linked to drug use. However 10% of

responders stated that teen involvement in the use of drugs stem from a lack of education,

it is highly important that this factor even if it may be less pervasive in response it is still

relevant. Lack of parental control can lead youths to do the things they would not do if

they had a parent figure telling them what is wrong and what is right. To address the lack

of parental control in the 100 lane community remains highly important in reducing the

use of drugs in the community. However it can be clearly shown that the majority of the

respondents thinks/believes that peer pressure is what leads the youths of the 100 lane

community to turn to drug use. In figure 2 it can be shown that approximately 35% of

respondents believe that the leading cause for drug use is anxiety which can be treated

differently if taken seriously and even though only 15% of respondents says that

psychotic symptoms are less prevalent it is still highly important that these be taken into

consideration as psychotic symptoms can lead to persons acting on these thoughts which
could lead to a rise in violence. In figure 3 It can be shown that 10 of the responses

suggest that providing emotional support can help those who are struggling with drug

abuse and in total 5 persons suggest rehabilitation and home confinement, and even

though they receive the least amount of vote they may have a higher result than

emotional support as rehabilitation provides more professional help.

Findings:

During this research it was found that peer pressure is the leading cause of drug abuse

in the community of 100 lane. Additionally, anxiety is the largest issue associated with

the use of drugs. Lastly, through this research it is clearly stated that by providing

emotional support is the best way that we can help persons suffering with drug abuse.
Recommendation and Implementation: Firstly, we recommend that young youths go

to school and take their education seriously so that they are better aware of the

consequences of their actions concerning drug use. Secondly, we encourage youths

facing tough times to seek professional help because with professional help there is a

better chance of youths getting the proper advice they need while also helping them to

figure out better ways to cope, choose the right path and do not turn to drugs. Thirdly,

we encourage youths to practice proper self care so that their lives wouldn’t go down-hill

due to mental and physical health problems which would influence them to practice drug

use.