Factors associated with drug abuse among current female injecting drug user attending in Naulo ghumti, Pokhara

Abstract

The study entitled 'Factors Associated with Drug Abuse among Female Injecting Drug Users Attending in Naulo Ghumti Pokhara' has been conducted with overall objective to find out the factors associated with drug abuse. The study was conducted among 100 female injecting drug users by applying cross sectional descriptive research design. Non - probability purposive sampling technique had been chosen and interview technique had used to collect data.

The findings of the study revealed that majority of the respondents (81%) were the young people of 15-29 years, 36% of them were Gurung, 66% had passed S.L.C. / Intermediate level education. Only 24% of the respondents had reported that they had started drug due to stress (poor academic achievement, love tragedy, unemployment, job frustration and family tension), among them 66.67% had started due to family tension. Out of 100 respondents 84( 84% ) had been influenced by social factors (peer pressure, broken home, lack of love and affection from parents, lack of attention of parents and lack of knowledge/information). Among social factors 70% had reported due to peer pressure. Out of 100 respondents 16 (16%) were affected by individual factors (curiosity, pleasure seeking and search for identity). Among them 56% had reported the cause of drug use due to pleasure seeking. It was found that multiple factors were responsible to initiate drug abuse. The respondents whose fathers’ occupation was agriculture found to be more affected by stress.

The FIDUs (Female Intravenous Drug Users) whose father's were engaged in services found to be more affected by social factors. Fathers’ occupations, was found less significant to initiate drug abuse due to individual factors. As the age grew older to start the drug abuse, it was found that the social factors leading to start drug were effective. Majority of them (35%) had started to use drug when they were 20-24 years, 84% FIDUs had got relapsed and cause of relapse was found to be peer pressure for 54% of the respondents.

The findings of the study suggest that social factors and individual factors are the major contributing factors of drug abuse.