ROLE OF PARENTING STYLE AND FAMILY SUPPORT IN READINESS TO CHANGE CANNABIS USE AMONG YOUNG ADULTS

Abstract

This study examined the influence of parenting styles and family support on readiness to change cannabis use in Enugu metropolis. A total of four hundred and twenty seven (427) participants, 276 males and 151 females, ages 18-40 years (M = 25.31, SD = 5.44) were involved in this study. They were selected using convenient and snow ball method from street cannabis users in Abakpa, Emene, and Thinkers corner, Obiagu, Achalla Layout and Garriki. Parental Authority Questionnaire (PAQ), Perceived Social Support Scale-Family (PSS-Fa) and Readiness to Change Questionnaire (RCQ) was instruments used to collect data for the study. Correlation result indicated that father’s authoritativeness, father’s authoritarianism; father’s permissiveness, mother’s authoritativeness and mother’s permissiveness had significant relationship with readiness to change cannabis use; while family support, gender, age and mother’s authoritarianism had non- significant relationship with readiness to change cannabis use. The data obtained for this present study were cross checked for accuracy. In testing for parenting styles and family support as factors of Readiness to change cannabis use, the data obtained from the participants were analyzed by computing the means, standard deviations and correlations among the variables of study as well as the demographic variables. The first hypothesis tested in the study stated that parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian and permissive) of the father would significantly predict readiness to change cannabis use among young adults. The result of the study showed that among the three dimensions of father’s parenting styles, only the father’s authoritativeness supported the hypothesis as it made a statistically significant positive contribution in predicting readiness to change cannabis use, while other dimensions (authoritarianism and permissiveness) did not support the hypothesis because they did not make statistically significant contributions in predicting readiness to change cannabis use among the sampled young adults. The second hypothesis tested in the study stated that parenting styles (authoritative, authoritarian and permissive) of the mother would significantly predict readiness to change cannabis use among young adults. The result of the study showed that among the three dimensions of mother’s parenting styles, none of the supported this hypothesis because none turned out to significantly predict readiness to change cannabis use among the sampled young. The third hypothesis tested in the study stated that level of family support would significantly predict readiness to change cannabis use among young adults. The result of the study did not support this hypothesis because family support did not significantly predict readiness to change cannabis use among the sampled young adults. It was also found that none of the mothers parenting style and family support made statistically significant contribution in predicting readiness to change cannabis use.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

According to 2010 report of the United Nations on drugs and crime estimated that between 155 and 250 million people approximately or 3.5% to 5.7% of the world population aged 15-64 have used drugs at least once in the last 12months, There is increasing trend in psychoactive substance use and abuse in African countries (Adelekan, Ndom, Makajuola, Parakoyi, Osagbemi, Fabgemi, & Pute 2000 and Ready, Resnicow, Omardien, & Kambara, 2007). In this trend, cannabis use and abuse is taking its fair share and mostly young adults are trapped down in the mess.

This trend seems to be very common or conversant during adolescent period spanning though early adulthood and causing social, physical, health, and mental complications; previous empirical studies indicate that both males and females engage in the use of cannabis (World Drug Report, 2008). Nigeria for example, where cannabis abuse was uncommon many decades ago, there is today ample visual evidence of cannabis use on the roadsides and motor parks of most urban centers where young adults could be seen using cannabis (Rasheed & Ismaila, 2010). These increased usage, no doubt has a number of implications. Cannabis use and abuse has continued to increase both social and public health issues.

World Drug Report (2008) statistics held that about 200,000 peoples die from drug use worldwide, affecting not only drug user but also the family members, friends, co-workers and communities. Drug use (including the use of illicit drugs, alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana/cannabis etc.) is widespread and this wide distribution increases the burden of disease related and behavior related drug use problem. According to World Health Organization Global status report on marijuana and health, the harmful use of marijuana (cannabis) is a causal factor in 60 types of diseases and injuries, resulting in appropriately 15 million deaths every year. These death make up almost 3% of all death worldwide e.g. marijuana has been indicated to be responsible for 5 million deaths annually, for most  European and Asian countries, opiates continue to be the main drug of abuse and account for 62% of all treatment demand, in south America, drug related treatment continues to be mainly linked to the use of cocaine (59% of all treatment demand), but in African, the bulk of all treatment demand is link to cannabis 64% (WHO, 2004).

Cannabis, commonly known as marijuana and numerous other names (India hemp, ganja, bush, igbo, we-we, gbanaa, hashish etc.), is a preparation of the cannabis plant intended for use as a psychoactive drug and as medicine (Harcout, 2007). Pharmacologically, the principle of psychoactive constituent of cannabis is tetrahydrocannabinol, it is one of the most 283 known compounds in the plant (Russo, 2013) including at least 84 other cannabinoids, such as cannabidiol, cannabinol, tetrahydrocannabivarin, (El-Aify, Ivery, Robison, Ahmed, Radwan, Slade, Khan, Elsohly & Rossb, 2010) and cannabigerol according to United nation of drug commission UNODC (2009). The three main forms of cannabis products are the flower, resin (hashish) and oil (hash oil). The UNODC (2009) states that cannabis flower is often 5%tetrahydrocannabivarin, (THC) content, resin can contain up to 20% THC content while, cannabis oil may contain more than 60% THC content.

Cannabis is being consumed in many different ways (Golubi, 2012): smoking, which typically involves inhaling vaporized cannabinoids (smoke) from small pipes, bongs (portable versions of hookahs with water chamber), paper-wrapped joints or tobacco leaf-wrapped blunt, roach clips and other items (Tasman, Kay, Lieberman, First & Maj, 2011). It has a proactive and physiological effects when consumed (Conaivi, Sugiura, & Marzo, 2005). The immediate desired effects of consuming cannabis include relaxation and mild euphoria (the “high or stoned” feeling), while some immediately undesired side-effects include a decrease in short-term memory, dry mouth, impaired motor skills and reddening of the eyes, feeling of paranoid or anxiety (Hall & Paula, 2003). Aside from a subjective change in perception and mood, the most common short-term physical and neurological effects include increased heart rate, increased appetite and consumption of food lowered blood pressure, impairment of short-term or working memory, (Mathre, 1997; Riedel & Darvies, 2005), impaired psychomotor co-ordination and concentration.

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