12-Month Substance Use Disorders among First-Year University Students in Kenya
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Date
2023-11
Authors
Jaguga, Florence
Mathai, Muthoni
Ayuya, Caroline
Francisca, Ongecha
Musyoka, Catherine Mawia
Shah, Jasmit
Atwoli, Lukoye
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
PLOS ONE
Abstract
Objectives
The period of entry into university represents one of vulnerability to substance use for university students. The goal of this study is to document the 12-month prevalence of substance use disorders among first year university students in Kenya, and to test whether
there is an association between substance use disorders and mental disorders.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional online survey conducted in 2019 and 2020 as part of the World
Health Organization’s World Mental Health International College Student (WMH-ICS) survey initiative. A total of 334 university students completed the survey. Descriptive statistics
were used to summarize the demographic characteristics of the participants. Multivariate
logistic regression was used to assess the association between substance use disorder and
mental disorders after adjusting for age and gender.
Results
The 12-month prevalence for alcohol use disorder was 3.3%, while the 12-month prevalence for other substance use disorder was 6.9%. Adjusting for age and gender, there was
an association between any substance use disorder and major depression, generalized
anxiety disorder, bipolar 1 disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, social anxiety disorder,
suicidal ideation, suicide attempt, and non-suicidal self-injury.
Conclusion
These findings highlight the need to institute policies and interventions in universities in
Kenya that address substance use disorders and comorbid mental disorders among firstyear students
Description
Article
Keywords
Citation
Jaguga, F., Mathai, M., Ayuya, C., Francisca, O., Musyoka, C. M., Shah, J., & Atwoli, L. (2023). 12-month substance use disorders among first-year university students in Kenya. Plos one, 18(11), e0294143.