The aim of this study was to research and compare the demographic characteristics of drug abusers with non-drug abusers among junior high school students in Japan through a closed format questionnaire. The same questionnaire and face-to-face interviews were used in order to find the circumstances of drug abuser among Kyogoin(a sort of child welfare institution) students in Japan. The goal of the study was to provide basic materials for preventive education of drug abuse through the two investigations mentioned above.
Between July 1993 and November 1993, the information for this study was collected from 964 students from 4 junior high schools, and also 142 students from 3 Kyogoin in Japan. A total of 1106 questionnaires were completed resulting in a following response rate of 90.4%.
Jnformation was based on the scales family relation scale, school life scale, recognition on danger of drug abuse scale, family environment scale (Moos, 1986), self esteem inventory (Coopersmith, 1967), etc.
The conclusions can be summarized as follows
1. Drug abusers are more likely to lake communication in their families and have poorer human relations than non-drug abusers. Also their school life scores tended to be lawer non-drug abusers.
2. It was between their 6th year of elementary school and their first of Junior high school when the drug was first used. The drug of choice which they made their first attempt at using was a volatile solvent which was inhaled. It is likely that this drug is “gateway-drug” for adolescents in Japan because they then also tried other drugs (e.g. cocaine, marijuana, etc.) step by step.
3. It is therefore clearly important that greatly increasing education on the harmful effects of drug abuse before the summer vacation of the first term of the sixth year of elementary school. At the same time, intervention in the family will have an effective prevention strategy in Japan, as well.
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