Drug Abuse and its Influence on the Academic Buoyancy of Internally Displaced Students in Mezam Division, North West Region of Cameroon

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of substance use/drug abuse on the academic buoyancy of internally displaced students in Mezam Division in the North West Region of Cameroon.  The study employed an embedded mixed method research design which combined the in-depth, contextual insights of qualitative and quantitative methods. The sample of the study was made up of a total of 270 internally displaced students and 15 school counsellors that were selected with the use of a simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques.  The instrument used for data collection of quantitative data was a closed-ended questionnaire for internally displaced students while an interview for school counsellors were used to collect qualitative data. Data obtained were analysed descriptively using frequencies, percentages, mean, standard deviations and multiple responses set. For inferential statistics, linear regression analysis was used to verify the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. Drug abuse/substance use was found to significantly predict the academic buoyancy of IDPs, and accounted for 23.0% of its variance, R² =.230, F (1, 249) = 74.258, P = 0.000.  The study implied that the behavioural tendency of young people engaging in substance and drug abuse should be conceptualised beyond the individual and should include socio-environmental stressors. It was concluded based on the findings that the behavioural tendency of internally displaced students engaging in substance and drug abuse negatively influences their academic buoyancy in Mezam. Based on the findings, it was recommended that; parents should get involved in drug prevention efforts, providing resources and support for families with children that have engaged in substance and drug abuse, schools can implement comprehensive programs that prioritize prevention, early intervention, and support to help students struggling with drug abuse cope with their academics. This includes providing education on the dangers of drugs and alcohol, fostering a positive school environment, and connecting students with resources for addiction treatment and recovery.