142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

Home Events & Meetings Annual Meeting Schedule & Program

Online Program

Annual Meeting Recordings are now available for purchase

311294
Relationship Between Bullying and Substance Use Among Senior High School Students in Ghana, West-Africa

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Marquinta Harvey, B.S. M.S. , Department of Health and Human Performance, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
Andrew Owusu, PhD , Department of Health and Human Performance, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
Introduction: School-based bullying, a global challenge, adversely contributes to psychological and physical development of adolescents. Existing evidence indicates an association between bully perpetration and substance use. Conversely, bully prevention interventions are linked to lower reports of substance use. This study examines the relationship between bullying perpetration and substance use among senior high school students in Ghana, West Africa.

Methods: Data from the 2012 Ghana Global School-based Student Health Survey (GSHS) were utilized. A total of 1,984 students participated in the 2012 GSHS. Complex sample frequencies and logistic regression analysis were utilized to calculate prevalence estimates and odds ratios respectively, focusing on bullying and substance use. 

Results: Overall, 23.4% of students reported bullying other students in the 30 days preceding survey. Among bullies, 9.8% smoke, 20.5% use alcohol, 16.1% had ever binge drunk and, 10.4% had used marijuana one of more times in lifetime. Students who smoke (OR 2.9; CI 1.6-5.5), use alcohol (OR 2.1; CI 1.5-2.8), binge drink (OR 1.8; CI 1.4-2.4), or ever used marijuana (OR 2.4; CI 1.5-3.9) were significantly more likely to report being involved in bullying other students compared to those who did not use aforementioned substances.

Conclusion: The significant association between bullying and substance use (cigarette, alcohol, and marijuana) suggests the need to consider addressing substance use as part of bullying intervention efforts among senior high school students in Ghana.

Learning Areas:

Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
Analyze the association between bullying and substance use.

Keyword(s): Drug Abuse, Mental Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am a doctoral student at Middle Tennessee State University who is currently studying bullying and mental health in junior and senior high school students in Ghana, West Africa. I am being mentored by Dr. Andrew Owusu, WHO coordinator for Ghana, in my research initiatives.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 5002.0: Adolescent Alcohol Use