Authors : Jackson Njau Kinyanjui; Kagema Muriuki

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/k8wym2y4

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/545sc4sr

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26May380

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Abstract : Drug abuse among Kenyan youth has reached crisis levels, especially in peri-urban areas. This cross-sectional mixed-methods study (n=125, 94.7% response rate), conducted in July 2025 at Matasia Catholic Parish, Ngong Sub-County, Kajiado County, examined how parenting, communication difficulties, and community factors shape substance use among church-affiliated youth and their parents. The study reported an 81.6% lifetime prevalence of drug use, about six times above national youth averages. Alcohol (52%), khat/miraa (41.6%), cigarettes (39.2%), cocaine (9.6%), and heroin (8.8%) were the most used. Authoritarian parenting predominated (55.2%), alongside poor parent-youth communication (76%), inconsistent monitoring (56.8%), parental substance use (35.2%), and easy drug access (93.6%). These factors were strongly linked to youth substance use (p<0.05 to p<0.001). Peer pressure (68%) and curiosity (57.6%) were the main triggers. Qualitative accounts indicated rebellion against strict, uncommunicative homes led youth to seek peers and experiment to cope emotionally. Using Social Influence Theory, Attachment Theory, and Baumrind’s Parenting Styles, the study illustrates how high-control, low-warmth parenting, worsened by urbanization, leads to rebellion and substance use. The study recommends a culturally relevant, multilevel intervention using faith-based structures that could reduce prevalence by 20– 30% over 2 years.

Keywords : Authoritarian Parenting, Communication Disconnects, Substance Use, Rebellion, Peri-Urban Kenya, Authoritative Parenting, Faith-Based Interventions, Prevention Strategies.

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