Submission ID 131738
| Issue/Objective | Young people's social networks have been indicated to be an important determinant for their behaviour, including substance use; however, there is limited evidence on the association between their social networks and substance use behaviour. the goal of this study was to generate evidence for school-based substance use prevention interventions by describing social network features, substance use prevalence, and peer influence mechanisms among Ghanaian senior high school students. |
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| Methodology/Approach | Bounded social network surveys were administered to 129 students across three classrooms in two Ghanaian senior high schools (June-August 2023). ERGMs examined network tie formation based on gender and substance use attributes. Twenty-five in-depth interviews explored underlying mechanisms of peer influence. |
| Results | Substance use prevalence ranged from 44.7% to 64.1%, substantially exceeding continental averages (41.6%). Network characteristics relevant to intervention design included: (1) sparse networks (density 0.04-0.06) suggesting need for subgroup-level engagement strategies; (2) presence of isolates (3-8 per network) who may be connected to external risk networks; (3) moderate reciprocity (0.39-0.46) indicating non-hierarchical structures suitable for peer-led approaches; and (4) strong gender homophily necessitating gender-stratified intervention components. Qualitative findings identified anti-substance network norms and self-efficacy (informed by knowledge of harms and parental advice) as protective factors, while pro-substance norms and network-based substance access drove continued use. |
| Discussion/Conclusion | School-based interventions in Ghanaian settings should: (a) engage existing friendship subgroups rather than whole-class approaches; (b) address external network connections of classroom isolates; (c) leverage anti-substance norms within networks; (d) incorporate parental involvement and harm education; and (e) explicitly unpack traditional gender roles that normalize male substance use. |
| Presenters and Affiliations | Ali Dramani Usmaniya Basic School Nurudeen Ali University of Energy and natural Resources Abdul Cadri McGill University |
