8342937129

Perlanika 14(1), 87-91 (1991)

Self-esteem and Initial Drug Use: a Coinparative Study between Users and Non-users among Malay Adolescents in Peninsular Malaysia

H.M. ABDULLAH AL-HADI and M.T. MOHD NASIR

Department oj Humań DeuelopmenlStudies Uniuersiti Perta nian Malaysia 43400 UPMSerdang, SelangorDarulEhsan, Malaysia

Keywords: self-esteem, initial druą use, adolescents.

ABSTRACT

Kajian i ni menelitipenghargaan kendiń pengguna dadah dan łmkan pengguna dadah sebelum mana-mana responden terlibat dengan tingkah laku permulaan penggunaąn dadah. Sampel terdiri daripada 183pengguna dadah yang sedang metieńma rawatan pemulihan di lima Imali Pusat Pemulihan Dadah Ker aj aa n, dan 200bukan pengguna dadah yang sedang menuntut di sebuah uniuersiti. Kajian mendapati pembentukan tingkah laku permulaan penggunaan dadah mempunyai kaitan dengan penghargaan kendiri responden. Ha sil kajian ini mempunyai implikasi-implikasi tertentu dałam hubungannya dengan sebab-musabab permulaan tingkah laku permulaan penggunaan dadah, dan kaedah-kaedah rawatanpermulihannya.

ABSTRACT

Thisstudy examined self-esteem of drug users and non-users before any oj the subjects engaged in initial drug use. Subjects were 183drugusers receiyingtreatment atfiue Government Rehabilitation Centers, and 200 non-drug users Arawnfrom a uniuersitiy. I)evelopment of initial drug use was found to be related to self-esteem of the subjects. The result may have rertain implications both in relation to theetiology oj drug use and to its treatment.

INTRODUCTION

Many theorists have advanced that self-esteem is related ro delinquency. Adler (1930), Dreikurs (1962), Kapłan (1975, 1980) and Reckless et a\. (1956) haveall proposed that Iow self-esteem plays a significant role in the development of social behaviour. According to Adler, Dreikurs and Kapłan, avoiding Iow self-esteem is the major motive oi human behaviour. Individuals seek to avoid luture devaluingexperiencesand to compensate forfeelingsoflowself-worth. Thus, delinqtiency is viewed as a compensatory means through which children with Iow self-esteem avoiddevaluingsocial experiences and attempt to enhance self-worth. Reckless et ai (1956) have asserted that poor self-esteem makesachild vulnerable toenvironmental forceswhich thensteerhim todelincjuency. Kapłan (1980) inathree-year longitudinal study observed that Iow self-esteem preceded delinquent be-haviour. The find i ngsof Rosenberg and Rosenberg (1978) from extensive longitudinal dataconcluded that Iow self-esteem influencesthedevelopmentof delinquent behaviour.

A n urn ber of studies deal direćtly with the concept of self-esteem as it relates to drug use. Kapłan (1975b) and Samuels and Samuels (1974) have found that Iow self-esteem isoneof the significant factors associated with drug use. However, other studies present contradictory findings whereby self-esteem is not signiłlcantly associated with drug use (Jessor and Jessor 1977; Kandel 1978; Paton and Kandel 1978;Schaefere/<z/, 1976; Smith and Fogg 1978). The inconsistencies of findings from studies relating self-esteem with drug use suggest t he need for morę research in this area, especially in the Malaysian context. Thus, a detailed study utilising a psycho-social model was conducted to examine, among others, the self-esteem of drug and non-drug users before any of these subjects were engaged in drug use. The com-parison of the self-esteem of drug and non-drug users isdiscussed in this paper. Other objectives of the study are toexamine the relationship between social and psychological factors with the develop-ment of initial drug use behaviour, and to investi-gate theassociation between parentingstylesand