European Journal of Education Studies ISSN: 2501 - 1111 ISSN-L: 2501 - 1111 Available on-line at: www.oapub.org/edu Volume 3 │ Issue 11 │ 2017 doi: 10.5281/zenodo.1067272 PARENTING STYLES AS PREDICTORS OF DRUG ABUSE AMONG SELECTED PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EMBU COUNTY, KENYA Jonathan M. Mwania1, Simon Njogu Njagi2 1 Department of Educational psychology South Eastern Kenya University, Kenya 2 Department of Educational psychology Masai Mara University, Kenya Abstract: The role of parents in helping their children to face the adolescence challenges and specifically the challenge of drug abuse cannot be underestimated; however, the extent to which parenting styles predetermine secondary school students’ involvement in drugs is not well understood. This study investigated parenting styles, as predictors of drug abuse among public secondary school students in Embu County, Kenya. A population of 8820 (4886 girls and 3934 boys) form two and three students distributed in 132 public secondary schools in Embu County was targeted. Purposive sampling was used to select a sample of 15 schools which had reported more cases of drug abuse for the last three years in the county. Stratified random sampling and systematic random sampling were used to select 399 participants (221 girls and 178 boys). Purposive sampling was used to select 15 Guidance and counseling teachers and 70 secondary school dropouts from the 15 schools. Reliability for the parenting styles questionnaires and risky behaviours were calculated an average Cronbach alpha α of α = . parenting styles questionnaires was reported and for risky behaviours α = . for . Multiple linear regression showed that parenting styles significantly predict drug abuse among secondary school students, and that parenting styles accounts for, 64.4% (R 2=0.644, p< . 5 of students’ drug abuse, The study, therefore, recommends that the government through the Ministry of Education should train the teacher counselor, to identify and counsel drug abusing students and train parents on how to handle drug abusive children Copyright © The Author(s). All Rights Reserved. © 2015 – 2017 Open Access Publishing Group 506 Jonathan M. Mwania, Simon Njogu Njagi PARENTING STYLES AS PREDICTORS OF DRUG ABUSE AMONG SELECTED PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EMBU COUNTY, KENYA Keywords: parenting styles, authoritative, authoritarian, permissive indulgence, permissive neglectful, drug abuse 1. Introduction 1.1 Background to the Study Majority of the secondary school students are in adolescence stage, a period of transition into adulthood, such transition exposes them to many risks (Kimanthi, 2014). Globally, adolescence is one of the riskiest phases of a person’s life, due to the complexity and magnitude of biosocial changes that occur during this stage (Robinson, 2006). The stage is characterized by increased exploration and experimentation with much risky behaviour such as drug abuse, (Adams & Berzonsky, 2006). The risks have implications on adolescent’s health and other social problems. “dolescent risk taking exposes them to possible immediate danger with a possibility of such dangers persisting to adulthood (Park, Mulye, Adams, Brindis, & Irwin, 2006). Internationally, risky behaviours such as drug abuse among students have been on the rise. Secondary school students are frequent users of alcohol and increasingly consume it in an alarming rate. Kuntsche, Kuntsche, Knibbe, Simons-Morton, Farhat, Hublet and others contend that, student’s drinking of alcohol has continued to be of significant social and public health concern. For instance, in Europe, the average age of alcohol taking is 12.5 years (Anderson, De Bruijn, Angus, Gordon & Hastings, 2009). In America students in 12th grade have been found to abuse cigarettes alcohols and other drugs Johnston, O’Malley and ”achman, . “ study conducted in “merica by United States Census Bureau (2001) found that, 30-60 % of adolescents reported having tried illicit substances such as alcohol, 17 % had used marijuana and another five percent had used other illegal drugs. This has a lot to do with the media advertising and exposure of students to alcohol use. A study by Shijun, Songming, Xiaoqi, Shurong, Weijia, Lei, & Guansheng (2015) Showed that, the prevalence of lifetime alcohol abuse among high school students in China is 52.5%; in addition, 38.5% of the students were past-year drinkers, while 20.1% of them had consumed alcohol in the past 30 days before the study. During the previous year, 29.7% of the students reported that they drank once per month or less, and 22.0% of the students drank less than once. Kimanthi and Thinguri (2014) contend that, the risk of drug abuse among students in Africa is a challenge. For instance in South Africa a study by Chauke, Heever and Hoque (2015) show that 35.5%of male and 29.7% of female high school students use alcohol, the study also found that alcohol consumption increase with age, 32.2% by age 15-17years and 53.2% by the 18-20years of age. Media reports show European Journal of Education Studies - Volume 3 │ Issue 11│ 2017 507 Jonathan M. Mwania, Simon Njogu Njagi PARENTING STYLES AS PREDICTORS OF DRUG ABUSE AMONG SELECTED PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EMBU COUNTY, KENYA worrying trends while research show that the menace is on the increase. NACADA (2012) identified alcohol, tobacco and bhang use among the major challenges of substance abuse facing Kenyan adolescents currently. According to Siringi and Waihenya (2003), more than 22% of primary school children in Kenya take alcoholic products, by the time they are in secondary school the figures increase to 57% and to 68% at university. Simbee (2012), contends that cigarette smoking is a major problem among students and is described as the main gate way to other hard drugs. According to Onjoro (2014) in every 15 Kenyan students, one of them is an abuser of drugs such as bhang or hashish. A country- wide survey on drug use among students found that bhang or marijuana (Cannabis Sativa) is among drugs mostly abused by school children (NACADA, 2012). According to NACADA (2007) as cited in Weldon (2013), the culture of drug abuse is growing among the youth and adolescent students in Kenya. A report by NACADA (2009) indicates that, the national prevalence for drugs among young people in Kenya is at 60 % alcohol, 58% tobacco and 23% cannabis among others. Another report by NACADA (2012) indicates that majority of students in all levels of education engage in the risks of drug abuse. The problem of drug among adolescent students affect both boys and girls with 9.0% of those aged 15-24 involved in smoking out of whom, 20.9 % are males while 1.3% are females (Otieno, Kariuki & Mwenje, 2013). Drug abuse among the students jeopardizes their health in addition to lowering their academic performance thus diminishing their contribution towards the countries’ economic growth. 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