MST-Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies

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Browsing MST-Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies by Subject "Abuse"

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    Effects of Alcohol Abuse on Family Stability in Nyeri County, Kenya
    (Kenyatta University, 2021) Muchiri, Beatrice Nyawira; Josephine Gitome; Joseph Nzau
    The impact of alcohol abuse on families is a dire concern, with breadwinners directing a significant chunk of their funds to drinking, and several individuals abdicating their family commitments. In Nyeri County, Kenya, alcohol abuse has adversely affected the county, with several livelihoods claimed through illnesses such as cirrhosis, negligence and suicides. Considering the significant influence that the church has on its faithful in this region, it could take a role in forestalling these worrying trends. The study focused on the Cathedral Parish households of Nyeri Catholic Archdiocese, where the effects of alcohol abuse on family stability had not received adequate attention. Guided by the following objectives, the study sought to: assess the Roman Catholic moral teachings on alcohol consumption; evaluate the Catholic church initiatives of safeguarding family stability; evaluate the causes of alcohol abuse; and to analyze the socio-economic effects of alcohol abuse on family stability in Cathedral parish households of Nyeri Catholic Archdiocese. The research also analyzed themes derived from peer reviewed literature on the topic of alcohol abuse and family, relating scholarly views to the objectives. The study applied the Family Systems Theory while targeting was 166 respondents. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling techniques were applied to select 31 Catholic Men Association, 70 Catholic Women Association, 18 youth members, 1 Bishop, 1 Catechist, 2 parish priests, 21 persons with Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD), 21 affected spouses and one prolife coordinator. Questionnaires, interview guides and focus group discussions were used for data collection with validity and reliability ensured by conducting a pilot study. Qualitative data was analyzed by sorting in terms of themes and ranked according to their frequent weight while quantitative data was analyzed through percentages and frequencies using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 21.0. The study ascertained that Catholic Church Moral and social teachings advocated for temperance in terms of alcohol consumption. Further, the Church strongly teaches followers on strong and stable family units. The teachings were understood by the parishioners, though social economic factors superseded the effectiveness of the teachings on alcohol abuse. The common socio-economic impacts of alcohol abuse in Nyeri were marital separation, high rates of domestic violence, children consumption of alcohol, high rate of school drop-out in the affected households among others. The study concluded that alcohol abuse significantly affected family stability in Cathedral Parish households of Nyeri Archdiocese. Therefore, the Catholic initiatives on alcohol abuse were critical in ensuring family stability. The study recommended that the church could establish comprehensive programs that involved collaboration with government and non-government agencies in order for them to work together for stability of the affected families in the households and the entire community. It was hoped that the information that the study provided would be useful to social workers, priests, scholars, counselors and practitioners dealing with family and social matters.