Effectiveness of Chaplaincy Programs in Drug Abuse Prevention among Secondary School Students in Kiambu County, Kenya
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Date
2023
Authors
Njaaga, Simon Murigi
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
kenyatta university
Abstract
Drug abuse poses a significant danger to the global community in general and the Kenyan
society in particular in terms of health, social and economic risks. Although several researchers
have suggested a number of preventive measures, few have shown the importance and the role of
chaplaincy in developing resilience and curbing the drug menace. This study therefore sought to
assess the effectiveness of chaplaincy programs in drug abuse prevention among1secondary
school students in Kiambu County, Kenya. The study1was guided by the following objectives: to
determine the programmes put in place by chaplains; to compare students undergoing chaplaincy
programmes with those without; to establish stakeholder perception on the effectiveness of
chaplaincy programs and to investigate the challenges faced by chaplaincy in drug abuse
prevention among1secondary1school students in Kiambu County. The research was anchored on
the Chaplain’s1Model of Spiritual1Care and underpinned by Modified Social Stress Model. The
study adopted a causal comparative research design and targeted secondary schools which
utilized Chaplaincy services in guiding, counselling and pastoral care as well as those that did
not. The study targeted 28 schools which utilized chaplaincy programs in the County and 28
others with no chaplaincy programs. The study population was made up of 39,800 students. A
10% (3,980) sample size was picked from the population and selected purposively. An improved
questionnaire and an interview guide from Faith, Importance and Influence, Community, and
Address tool was used to ascertain the level of utilisation of chaplaincy programmes by the
students. Quantitative data was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences and
presented using frequencies, percentages and measures of central tendency. Qualitative data was
analysed using content analysis and presented in various themes. From the analysed data, it was
revealed that 15% (n=452) students had been caught with drugs in school in the year 2021 and
2022. Of this number 18% (n=85) of the students were from schools with chaplaincy while 82%
(n=367) were from schools without. The study concluded that chaplaincy had a positive impact
on the fight against drug abuse in secondary schools. The study recommended that churches in
conjunction with the Ministry of Education need to develop universally accepted chaplaincy
framework to guide chaplains in their work.
Description
A Research Project Submitted to the School of Law, Arts and
Social Sciences in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for
the Award of the Degree of Master of Arts in Counselling
Psychology of Kenyatta University
Keywords
Drug Abuse, Secondary School Students, Kiambu County, Kenya