Communication Gaps and Authoritarian Parenting: Drivers of Youth Rebellion and Substance Use in a Kenyan Peri-Urban Community

Jackson Njau Kinyanjui () and Kagema Muriuki ()

International Journal of Innovative Science and Research Technology (IJISRT), 2026, vol. 11, issue 05, 1345-1350

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

Keywords: Authoritarian Parenting; Communication Disconnects; Substance Use; Rebellion; Peri-Urban Kenya; Authoritative Parenting; Faith-Based Interventions; Prevention Strategies. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:cvr:ijisrt:2026:05:ijisrt26may380

DOI: 10.38124/ijisrt/26May380

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