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Youth Problems: Drug Abuse and Deviant Behaviour

張越華Yuet-wah Cheung, Ph.D.

Dept. of SociologyThe Chinese University of Hong Kong

Jan. 2011

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How much drug abuse is there

among youngsters?

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(A) CRDA Data

Remarks: Please visit Narcotics Division, Security Bureau, HKSARG’s Websitehttp://www.nd.gov.hk/tc/drugstatistics.htm for more information

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(B) School Survey Data

7 school surveys (Chinese-speaking schools, international schools, technical institutes) had been conducted under the auspices of Action Committee Against Narcotics: 1987, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008/09

% of students (Chinese-speaking schools, international schools & technical institutes) who had ever used drugs and had used drugs in past 30 days.

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圖一 : 過去十二個月內有否濫藥行為 (N=500)

20% (101人)

44% (219人)

72% (362人)

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80%

曾於香港濫藥

曾於深圳濫藥

沒有濫藥行為

「香港邊緣青少年北上濫藥面面觀研究」 2002-03 ( 張越華）

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圖二 : 曾於深圳濫藥者在深圳濫藥的頻密程度 (N=215)

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

每月不多於三次 每周一至六次 每天一次或以上

75 %(161 人 )

25 %(54 人 )

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圖三 : 曾於深圳濫藥者在深圳最主要的 濫藥場所 (N=215)

98%

25%

13%

11%

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

的士高

/酒店 旅館

OK卡拉

酒吧

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93% 89.3% 86% 88%

50% 54%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

("K ")氯胺酮 仔 搖頭丸 大麻

香港 深圳

圖四 : 在深圳及香港的士高或狂野派對內 三種最常被濫用的藥物

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表一 : 濫藥者就業狀況比較 (N=392)

9%19%從事違法工作

24%39% 從事正當工作41%24%失學及失業（雙失）25%19%仍然在學

曾於深圳濫藥者(N=213)

只在香港濫藥者(N=179)就業狀況

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Popular Reasons for Increasing Popularity of Drug Use among Young people ： - Curiosity - Peer group pressure - Escape from boredom or harsh reality - Mistaken belief that occasional abuse of drugs, esp. "soft drugs," will not lead to addiction - Easy availability, especially on Mainland (cheaper than in HK too) - School a “safe” place to possess and use drugs

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香港邊緣青少年北上濫藥面面觀研究 2002-03

% N

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- 2008: Report of Task Force on Youth Drug Abuse released in Nov. Proposed school voluntary drug test as trial scheme in early 2010. - 2009: Cases of students using or possessing drugs reported in media; CE accelerated the schedule of implementation of school drug test trial scheme; Tai Po schools agreed to participate.

School drug test scheme ended at the end of 2009; evaluation report released in Nov. 2010.

Drugs Making their Way to Schools !

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Some Social Science Explanations forAdolescent Drug Abuse and Other Deviant Behavior

Social Bonding perspective

Anomie perspective

Differential Association perspective

Labelling perspective

Social Disorganization perspective Normalization perspective

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Social bonds with Significant others(parents, teachers)

Adolescent’s refraining from committing dev

iant behaviour

- Assumes everyone will commit delinquent behaviour.

- Why? Because he/she doesn’t want to disappoint these people. The social bond becomes a source of social control.

Social Bonding Perspective

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Rapid social change

Inadequate rules

Social disorganization

Social problems

Three types of disorganization: 1. Normlessness 2. Cultural conflict 3. Normative breakdown

Social Disorganization Perspective

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Poor fit between goals (success) and

legitimate means

Deviance/crime

Lower classposition

Anomie/Strain Perspective

- Can also refer to frustrations (strains) due to other aspects of life

Anomie/strain

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Excess of definitions favourable to violation of law over definitions unfavourable to vi

olation of law

Social learning ofdeviant definitions,

motivation & technique fromintimate groups

Delinquent behaviour

Differential Association Perspective

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Labelling(formal & informal)

Change of self-image

Labelling Perspective

Primary deviation

Secondary

deviance

Deviant career(irreversible)

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Self-control Perspective

What constrains crime & deviance? - Self-control (rather than social control ) 6 elements of Low Self-control: (1) Impulsivity (2) Preference for simple/easy tasks over complex ones (3) Self-centered, insensitivity to others’ interests (4) Preference for physical activities over mental/cognitive ones (5) Propensity for risk taking (6) Loosing temper easily, minimal tolerance for frustration Formed in early life, level of S-C remains fairly stable over time

Poor/inadequate family socialization

in childhood

Low Self-control

Deviance/Crime

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(Cheung, 1997)

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(Cheung & Cheung, 2008)

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Social Capital Perspective

Adolescent’slack of family and

school social capital

Crime/deviance

Social Capital refers to the resources in social relationships that can be generated for use to achieve goals

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◆ H. Parker: Normalization of Recreational Drug Use among Youth

- “Normalization”: More and more behaviours considered deviant in the past are being accepted as normal today.

- Modern society is a "risk society": Young people today are far more willing than their parents to take calculated risks.

Parker, Howard, Judith Aldridge, and Fiona Measham. (1998). Illegal Leisure: The Normalization of Adolescent Recreational Drug Use. London: Routledge.

Normalization Perspective

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- Entering the late teens, by the age of 18, over six in ten had tried an illicit drug, and one quarter had used them regularly (Parker’s UK study).

- For a majority of young drug takers, recreational drug use is a regular part of their leisure time consumption– ‘time out’, to compete alongside sport, romance, shopping, nights out, etc., and also a way to cope with uncertainty and disorder in a post-modern society.

- Reinforced by the growing popularity of dance club culture wherein use of dance drugs (e.g., ecstasy) is central Recreational drug use

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◆ Erica Weir: Weir, E. “Raves: A review of the culture, the drugs and the prevention of harm,” Canadian Medical Association Journal, Vol. 162, pp.1843-1848, 2000

- For most youths rave attendance may simply be the collective “rite of passage” of a generation spurning individualism and materialism in pursuit of empathy and euphoria.

- Harm reduction efforts needed to help rave goers to reduce adverse health consequences due to drug use at raves.

◆ Nicole Cheung & YW Cheung: Cheung, Nicole W.T. & Yuet Wah Cheung. (2006). “Is Hong Kong experiencing normalization of adolescent drug use? Some reflections on the normalization thesis.” Substance Use & Misuse , Vol. 41, pp.1967-1990.

- Normalization of recreational drug use among young people also happened in HK, though slower than in the West.

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Facing the Challenges of the New Drug Era (~1997-2011): 5-Pronged Approach Adopted by Govt.

(1) Law enforcement - Targetting illegal supply, trafficking and use of psychotropic substances. - Intervention and help emphasized more than punishment for young drug users (except young drug dealers).

(2) Preventive education & publicity - Strengthen prevention & publicity programmes, including school-based drug education. - Better coordination among govt. departments and between govt. organizations and NGOs.

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(3) Treatment and rehabilitation - T&R services need to change from heroin-based to psychoactive drug dependence among young abusers. There are now: *11 Counselling Programmes for Psychotropic Substance Abusers (CCPSA) run by NGOs; *7 Substance Abuse Clinics (SAC) run by Hospital Authority; *17 residential drug T&R centres run by NGOs (also aiming to provide service to psychotropic drug abusers in addition to heroin T&R); *20 Out-patient Methadone Clinics—mainly heroin based) (4) Research - Funding more research studies, esp. on social and psychological determinants of drug abuse in youths.

(5) External cooperation - Joint actions and information exchange with Mainland and overseas authorities.

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Where does the Youth Problem come from?

-– Some considerations of the “Youth Problem” in Society Generational value conflict

- Adult values: Stability, responsibility, conformity, regularity, achievement, mobility, efficiency, discipline, etc. - Youth values: Change, pleasure, excitement, adventure, impulse, freedom, etc.

Negative evaluation of youth by adults

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Adult-oriented society 成人主導社會 :

• Dominance over juvenile/youth by adults• Negative evaluation/labelling of youth by adults fue

led by media: negative portrayal of youth in media sustains negative stereotype of youth in society

• Manufacture of Moral Panic 道德恐慌 leading to adults’ construction of the Youth Problem in society

▲ 政務司司長唐英年 ( 青年學術會議 15/1/2011): 80 後年青人爭取權利的同時 , 往往忽略責任…搞思想壟斷…不分清紅皂白…剛愎自用加勇往直前 ，最後車毀人亡。 註：全文請參考 香港政府新聞網 (2011 年 1 月 15 日 ) ＜政務司司長出席青年學術會議致辭全文 ＞。取自 http://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/201101/15/P201101150153.htm ( 瀏覽日期： 2011 年 1 月 25 日 ) - Negative labelling of youths today? Adding to existing moral panic?

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Functions of the Youth Problem

- Youth Problem functional to adults - Supports the control (and increasing control) of young people in society - Performs a moral function for adults: adults reinforce their moral responsibilities for the younger generation

Whose Youth Problem?

- As the Youth Problem is socially constructed by adults and it serves their interests, it is the adult’s problem rather than a problem of the youth

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Youth in Problem Society

Juveniles & adolescents ARE facing serious problems in our “problem society” !

Many of them are leading an UNHAPPY life

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- CUHK 2001 study of >7,000 students Distressed & in despair: 26.1% Self-destructive behaviour: 14.7% Have considered suicide: 14.7% Attempted suicidal behavior: 4.3%

- Reasons for feeling bored (YMCA 2000 study): Nothing to do: 67.4% Study for uninterested subjects: 52.8% Staying home: 37.1% Nobody to talk to: 35.8% Unachieved goals: 31.9% Having no good friends: 15.4%

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Family: - More and more broken home families (no. of divorce cases increasing since 1990) - Too little communication between parents & children - Many struck by economic crisis - Family violence

School: - Too exam-oriented, too competitive, producing failure students - Unhealthy teaching & learning methods - Lack of collaboration between school and family

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Labour market: - Unemployment rate of youth much higher than overall unemployment rate

Unemployment rate

15 - 19 Overall

2000 28.2 5.0

2002 27.0 6.8

2007 19.9 4.0

2008 16.2 3.6

2009 22.0 5.4

2010 (Mar.-May) 20.6 4.7

2010 (Aug.-Oct.) 22.8 4.2

▲ The feeling of blocked opportunities and powerlessness.

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Society’s Youth Problem or Youth in Problem Society?

Thank You !