The viewpoints of adolescent males in Kimberley regarding the use of cannabis

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Date
2015-02
Authors
Moabi, Nomonde Pearl
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Publisher
University of the Free State
Abstract
English: Cannabis usage increases the risk of contracting HIV and AIDS due to risky sexual practices, as it affects the user’s sense of proper judgement and leads to disintegration of families. Considering the involved risks and the negative effects cannabis has on the mental health of adolescents and the severe shortage of available / appropriate services, it is clear that there is a shortfall regarding the support of cannabis abusing adolescents and their families. However, it is a gap that the Child Psychiatric Nurse Specialist can fill, by enabling the adolescent males to air their viewpoints regarding the use of cannabis freely. Understanding the viewpoints of adolescent males on the use of cannabis in Kimberley may assist the Child Psychiatric Nurse Specialist in possibly empowering them through preventive and promotive life skills programs. There are only two South African National Councils of Alcoholism (SANCA) centres in the Northern Cape Province, situated in Upington and Kimberley; these centres also deal with abuse of other drugs and cannabis. There is no in-patient facility for the adolescents in the province and patients are either send to the Gauteng or the Free State province. Those parents that belong to a medical aid scheme can send their adolescents for two week detoxifying and counselling sessions at private psychiatric hospitals in the Free State province. These programs are extensive but very expensive. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the viewpoints of adolescent males in Kimberley regarding the use of cannabis. The research methodology used is qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual in design. Focus group interviews were used to collect data in the concerned school in Kimberley. An exploratory study was conducted to test the relevance and clarity of the question on the viewpoints of the adolescent males in Kimberley regarding the use of cannabis. The question was well understood by the participants and did not change for the main study. Data from this study formed part of the main data bank. Data obtained during the focus group interviews were analysed according to the steps proposed by Tesch. The data categories identified included a sense of belonging, the adolescents’ belief system, knowledge of cannabis’ harmful effects and a miscellaneous category of unrelated comments. The category about belonging was divided into the following sub-categories: peer pressure, popularity and curiosity. The category belief system was also divided into sub-categories, namely healing, relaxation, vision of the future and tradition. The category on harmful effects had four sub-categories, viz. physical/psychological, addiction and criminal behaviour. The last category, being miscellaneous, had three sub-categories: Advantages, family and boredom. Trustworthiness of the data is supported by employing the criteria of Lincoln & Guba: truth value, applicability, consistency and neutrality. Recommendations from the study are based on the identified categories and themes. The results briefly indicate that parents / guardians, teachers, the community members, churches, health-care professionals, as well as the Departments of Health, Social Development and Education, all had a role to play in ensuring that vulnerable adolescents’ occupy their leisure time constructively. This can be in the form of engaging in sport, games or youth programmes like “Ke Moja” and “Love Life” after school and during school holidays, in order to minimize the risk of the adolescents using cannabis and other types of drugs from boredom. The preventative strategies that the researcher has formulated will also assist the adolescents to fruitfully utilizing their time in order to prevent boredom and engaging in substance abuse with cannabis.
Afrikaans: Die gebruik van dagga verhoog die risiko om MIV-infeksie of VIGS weens seksuele praktyke op te doen, aangesien dit die gebruiker se oordeel benadeel en veroorsaak dat gesinne disintegreer. In aggenome die risikos en negatiewe effek wat dagga op die geestesgesondheid van adolessente het, en die skreiende tekort aan toepaslike behandelingsfasiliteite, behoort dit duidelik te word dat daar ‘n gebrek aan ondersteuning vir dagga misbruikende adolessente en hulle gesinne bestaan. Hierdie leemte kan egter deur Kinderpsigiatriese Verpleegspesialiste gevul word. Dit sou die adlolessente seuns die kans gun om hulle standpunt oor daggagebruik vrylik te lig. Begrip oor die standpunt van addolessente seuns oor die gebruik van dagga in Kimberley kan die Kinderpsigiatriese Verpleegspesialis dan weer help om met voorkomende en bevorderende programme oor lewensvaardighede in te tree. Daar is slegs twee Suid Afrikaanse Nasionale Raad vir Alkoholisme (SANRA) sentrums in Kimberley en Uprington in die Noord Kaap, wat ook met die misbruik van ander dwels en dagga belas is. Daar is egter geen adolessente binne-pasiënt fasiliteite nie, en pasiënte word vir rehabilitasie na ȯf die Gauteng ȯf Vrystaat provinsies gestuur. Ouers met mediese fondse kan bekostig om hul adolessente vir twee weke vir detoksifikasie en berading na privaat psigiatriese hospitale in die Vrystaat te stuur. Hierdie programme is uitgebreid maar baie duur. Die doel van die studie was ontginning en uiteensetting van die siening van adolessente skoolseuns oor die gebruik van dagga in Kimberley. Die navorsinsmetodologie vir die studie is kwalitatief, ondersoekkend, beskrywend en kontekstueel van aard. Fokusgroep onderhoude is in die betrokke skool in Kimberley aangewend om data mee te versamel. ‘n Ondersoekende studie is geloots om die relevansie en duidelikheid van die vraag aan die skoolseuns te toets. Aangesien die vraag goed deur alle adolossente seuns verstaan is, is dit onverander gelaat en die data wat daardeur versamel is, ook na die hoofstudie oorgedra. Om betroubaarheid te verseker is die data wat gedurende die onderhoude versamel is volgens die stappe van Tesch se protokol ontleed. Data kategorieë, sub-kategrorieë en temas is identifiseer. Die adolessente se sin van vereenselwing, hul persoonlike oortuiginge, hul kennis oor die negatiewe uitwerking van dagga, en ‘n algemene kategorie van onverwante opmerkings is as hoof kategorieë ontwikkel. Onder die kategorie vereenselwing, het portuurgroepdruk, populariteit en nuuskierigheid as die sub- kategrorieë ontwikkel, terwyl genesing, ontspanning, toekomsvisie en tradisie as die persoonlike oortuiginge se sub- kategrorieë identifiseer is. In die kategorie oor die skadelike uitwerking van dagga, is fisieke / fisiologiese afhanklikheid en kriminele optrede as die sub- kategrorieë identifiseer. In die algemene kategorie is drie sub-kategorieë vasgestel, naamlik voordele, familie en verveling. Die betroubaarheid van die studie is deur toepassing van die kriteria van Lincoln & Guba, naamlik waarheidswaarde, toepaslikheid, digtheid en neutraliteit, ondersteun. Die studie se aanbevelings is gegrond op die vasgestelde katogorieë en temas. Die resultate dui kortliks daarop dat ouers / voogde, onderwysers, gemeenskapslede, kerke, gesondheidspersoneel, sowel as die Departemente van Gesondheid, Sosiale Ontwikkeling en Onderwys almal ‘n rol het om te verseker dat blootgestelde adolessente hulle vryetyd meer konstruktief bestee. Dit kan in die vorm van sport, speletjies of jeugprogramme soos “Ke Moja” en “Love Life” na skool en gedurende vakansies plaasvind, om sodoende die risiko dat adolessente dagga of ander dwelms weens verveling gebruik, te verminder. Die voorkomende strategieë wat deur die Kinderpsigiatriese Verpleegspesialis navorser formuleer is, kan ook aangewend word om adolessente seuns te help om hulle tyd meer positief aan te wend, en verveling, met gevolglike daggamisbruik, te voorkom.
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Keywords
Cannabis -- Social aspects -- South Africa -- Northern Cape -- Kimberley, Drug abuse -- Treatment -- South Africa -- Northern Cape -- Kimberley, Teenagers -- Substance use -- South Africa -- Northern Cape -- Kimberley, Dissertation (M.Soc.Sc. (Nursing))--University of the Free State, 2015
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