SUBSTANCE USE AND ABUSE AMONG JAMAICAN MALE DURING THE POST COVID-19 ERA
Keywords:
COVID-19, substance use, substance abuse, Jamaican maleAbstract
Substance use and abuse among Jamaican males is a public issue that has been swept under the rug as it is portrayed as custom usage in society. There is no literature on Jamaican males about the issues they face due to using substances, how it affects their bodies, and how the use/abuse of substances affects their families and friends. The purpose of this study is to investigate the use and abuse of substances among Jamaican males who are 18 years and older during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study used primary cross-sectional web-based survey data collection on males 18 years and older from the Fourteen parishes of Jamaica. The survey commenced on October 4, 2022, and ended on November 30, 2022. By the use of a systematic random sampling technique of every fifth male within the population, 1089 surveys were collected. The Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) was self-administered among 1,089 Jamaican males. Using the DAST-20, 3 in every 4 male respondents (75%) were classified as using drugs during the past 12 months. One in every 10 male respondents was at least a substantial drug abuser and 12% were intermittent drug users, with 53 in every 100 being low drug users. The male respondents who are most likely to be severe drug users (or abusers) are those ages 43-47 years old (10.7%) followed by those ages 38-42 years old (5.0%). Males are experiencing various degrees of psychological challenges during the post-COVID-19 era and programmes must be implemented that can effectively allow them to manage their situations.
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