Sigola youths drug, substance abuse high: Study

ABOUT a third of adolescents in the Sigola area in Umzingwane District, Matabeleland South are involved in drug and substance abuse, a study has revealed.

The study, which was conducted by Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA)’s chief clinical psychologist Lieutenant Colonel Wellington Mutsambi, stated that adolescents living in new settlements constituted 53 percent of substance users.

The research shows that substance use is more prevalent among males (48, 6 percent) while females constitute 28,6 percent.

Alcohol is the most common substance of abuse, which is 14,5 percent while 15, 25 percent of adolescents abuse unfamiliar substances such as jade soap and diapers.

Presenting his findings during the recent 10th edition of the Zimbabwe Uniformed Forces Health Services annual conference in Victoria Falls, Lt Col Mutsambi said the research, which was conducted in 2021 focused on the peri-urban community located near Lookout Masuku Barracks, covering Sigola, Esiphezini, Tshamathi and new resettlement villages.

A total of 2 000 adolescent participants aged between 13 to 19 years were targeted and 310 of them were selected through a proportional quarter sampling method.

Lt Col Mutsambi said the objective of the study was to investigate the prevalence of drug use among adolescents, determine the relationship between drug use and well-being, relationship between substance use and stress.

The study also sought to examine the association between drug use and risk-taking.

“The findings showed that drug abuse among adolescents is high while there is a relationship and the association between substance use and subjective well-being, substance use, stress and risky behaviour. Substance abuse is high among adolescents in Sigola as almost a third of adolescents use drugs,” said Lt Col Mutsambi.

Adolescents in new settlements constituted 53 percent of substance users and 48, 6 percent were males and 28,6 percent females.

Lt Col Mutsambi said life satisfaction is lower among substance users compared to non-users as there is a negative correlation between drug use and life satisfaction.

“Risk-taking is also high among substance users as many end up engaging in illicit and immoral behaviours also associated with crime,” he said.

Lt Col Mutsambi said there is a need for further and wider research on unexpected substances utilised by youths to get high including investigation of other contributing factors to high substance abuse.

He said there is a need to design drug abuse programmes targeting adolescents, including drug awareness learning in the school curriculum and empowerment programmes for communities to deal with the drug menace.

Common products such as orange crush juice, diapers, bulbs and jolly juice among others are being turned into drugs.

Drugs and substance abuse has lately become more widespread with the United Nations in 2020 reporting that 243 million people use illegal substances globally.

Although incidents vary from country to country, there has been an alarming rise in drug usage among young people in Zimbabwe aged between 15 and 19 years. People who persistently abuse substances often experience an array of problems, including academic difficulties, health-related problems (including mental health) and poor peer relationships.

The scourge of drugs and substance abuse has become a national problem to the extent that the Government launched the operation “No to dangerous drugs and illicit substances” at the beginning of the year.

Drug and substance abuse among the youth has reached alarming levels where illicit alcohol and drugs such as Mutoriro, Kat, Heroin and Broncleer are being consumed by the youths with reckless abandon.

The drug and substance abuse menace has since been elevated to a National Committee which involves other stakeholders as the Government seeks to decisively deal with the scourge.

President Mnangagwa has since set up an inter-ministerial task force on drug and substance abuse as part of his administration’s efforts to end the scourge which remains a great threat to the attainment of Vision 2030.

About 90 percent of patients admitted to Ingutsheni Central Hospital which is a mental health hospital are drug and substance abuse addicts.

There are over 2 000 more with the same problem being attended to as outpatients by the same hospital each month.

According to the Zimbabwe National Drug Masterplan, 60 percent of patients admitted to mental health institutions experience substance-induced disorders.

The just-ended three-day conference was attended by health officers from within the country’s uniformed forces and allied forces in the region as well as health experts from the Ministry of Health and Child Care.

The theme for the conference was: “HIV/Aids and substance abuse: A threat to national security” and discussions revolved around the need to explore ways of fighting drug and substance abuse. – @ncubeleon