Drug abuse prevalence and stress-related experiences among secondary school learners in Vihiga County, Kenya

Drug abuse among adolescents presents interrelated educational and psychological risks, yet prevention efforts require evidence that reflects the specific substances, access pathways, and stress-related experiences found in local school settings. This study evaluated the prevalence of drug abuse and examined stress-related experiences reported in relation to drug abuse among secondary school learners in Vihiga County, Kenya. Social Learning Theory and the Person–Environment Fit Model guided the investigation. A pragmatist paradigm and convergent mixed-methods design were adopted. The target population comprised 29,240 Form Three learners, 112 principals, 112 teacher counsellors, and one County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer. Stratified and simple random sampling were used to select 395 learners, purposive sampling selected 12 principals and 12 teacher counsellors, and saturated sampling included the County officer. Usable data were obtained from 387 learners and all 25 institutional respondents. Questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and a document analysis guide were used. Quantitative data were analysed through frequencies, percentages, and means, while qualitative data were analysed thematically and integrated at interpretation. Alcohol was the most frequently reported substance (46.5%), followed by marijuana (39.3%) and miraa (38.8%). Most substances were reported more frequently by male than female learners, while day schools recorded the largest absolute number of users. Friends and peers were the leading reported source of drugs, and peer pressure was the leading reason for use. Stress and depression constituted the second most frequently reported reason. Further, 64.1% of respondents indicated that learners who used drugs appeared stressed, 68.2% associated continued use with stress or memory problems, and 36.7% reported three or more psychological distress symptoms. These findings demonstrate descriptive co-occurrence rather than a statistically established causal relationship. The study recommends that drug-use prevention in Vihiga County should integrate substance-access control with early psychological screening, confidential counselling, peer-led prevention, parental engagement, school–community monitoring, drug awareness sessions and use of security staff.