A Study on Value Orientations as Related to Drug Abuse Among Urban and Rural Male Adolescent

Abstract

The study focused on Terminal and Instrumental value orientations as related to drug abuse and non-abuse among urban and rural residential background and early and late adolescents. Study was made in the preset day economic and socio-cultural context of Bangladesh. Different Theoretical approaches were taken such as : Two psychological approaches to value orientations 1. A functional approach to instrumental and terminal values and the value­attitude-behavior system a. The structure of human values: a principal components analysis of the rokeach value survey b.Values and political ideology: rokeach's two-value model 2. The "gateway" theory of drug use holds that exposure to "entry" drugs­notably alcohol, cigarettes, and marijuana-reliably predicts deeper and more severe drug involvements. Objectives of the Study The broad objective of the study was to conduct an empirical investigation on value orientations as related to drug abuse and non-abuse with some demographic dimensions of residential backgrounds and adolescent age groupings. The investigation was done on value orientation with special reference to the district of Rajshahi. More specifically the main focus of the study was to explore the patterns of value orientations of early and late adolescents of rajshahi district as related to drug abuse, non-abuse and urban and rural residential backgrounds. The main objective of the study was to find out the similarities and differences in value orientations of drug abuser and non-abusers and its relation with their residential background and age groupings. More specifically the main objectives of the study were as follows: 1. To study patterns of similarities and differences m Terminal value orientations of Drug abuser and non- abuser groups irrespective of their residential background and age group. 2. To study patterns of similarities and differences in Instrumental value orientations of Drug abuser and non- abuser groups irrespective of their residential background and age group. 3. To find out the characteristic differences between urban and rural Ss in their Terminal value orientations 4. To find out the characteristic differences between urban and rural Ss in their Instrumental value orientations. 5 To study the similarities and differences between early and late-adolescents in their Terminal value orientations. 6. To study the similarities and differences between early and late-adolescents in their Instrumental value orientations Additional objectives 7 To study similarity and differences within drug abuser in value orientations. 8. To study similarity and differences within non- abuser in value orientations. 9.To study patterns of similarities and differences between drug abuser and non- abuser. The measures used in this study were as follows: 1.Rokeach's Value Inventory (1973) a.Terminal values (sub test) b.Instrumental values (sub test) The study used purposive samples. A total of 320 Ss equally divided into Drug abuser and Non-abuser groups were used. Each group was again equally sub-divided into Urban and Rural. Each Urban and Rural category was again sub-divided into Early and Late Adolescent according to their age groupings. Thus a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial design involving 2 levels of group Composition (Drug abuser/Non-abuser) 2 levels of residential background (Urban/Rural) and 2 levels of age groups Early/Late Adolescent were used. Analysis of results was computed in two parts. In the first part a factorial ANOV A using 2 x 2 x 2 design was used on the scores of Rokeach's (1973) value inventories of terminal and instrumental values. In the second part, t-test was computed on the scores of these scales. Hypothesis of the Study The main hypotheses were as follows; 1.Non-abuser respondents would show significantly more positive Terminal value orientations than its Drug abuser counterpart. 2.Non-abuser respondents would show significantly more positive Instrumental value orientations than its Drug abuser counterpart. 3.Urban respondents would show significantly more positive Terminal value orientations than its rural counterpart. 4.Urban respondents would show significantly more positive Instrumental value orientations than its rural counterpart. 5.Early adolescent Subjects would show significantly more positive Terminal value orientations than late adolescent subjects. 6.Early adolescent Subjects would show significantly more positive Instrumental value orientations than late adolescent subjects. Extended hypothesis: 7. Drug abuser of urban and rural origins, early and late adolescents would differ significantly in their terminal value orientations .. 8. Drug abuser of urban and rural origins, early and late adolescents would differ significantly in their Instrumental value orientations .. 9. Non- abuser of urban and rural origins, early and late adolescents would differ significantly in their terminal value orientations .. 10. Non- abuser of urban and rural origins, early and late adolescents would differ significantly in their Instrumental value orientations. 11. Drug abuser and non- abuser urban and rural residential background, early and late adolescents would differ in their terminal value orientations. 12. Drug abuser and non- abuser urban and rural residential background, early and late adolescents would differ in their Instrumental value orientations. The findings of the results strongly supported the predictions. It showed that the main effect of drug abuser and non-abuser Group Composition for Terminal Values was statistically significant. The main effect Urban and Rural Residential Background for Terminal values was found statistically significant. Regardless of Residential background and Age group Non-abuser Ss expressed significantly higher Terminal value orientation as compared to the drug abuser group of Ss. It was found that Urban Ss showed rated significantly higher orientation for Terminal values in comparison to Rural Ss. A three-way Interaction representing Group composition, Residential background and Age group was statistically Non- significant in case of Terminal Value orientations. Again, the mam effect of Urban and Rural Residential Background for Instrumental Values was found statistically significant. Regardless of residential background and age group, non- abuser Ss expressed significantly more instrumental values than their drug abuser counterpart. Regardless of Group Composition and age group residential background, the results indicated that urban Ss expressed significantly more instrumental values than the rural Ss. Early adolescent Ss expressed significantly more instrumental values as compared to the late adolescents group. A three-way interaction representing Group Composition, residential background and age group, in case of Instrumental values was found statistically non-significant.