Family Communication Patterns and Substance use Disorders among the Youths in Selected Rehabilitation Centers in Nairobi, Kenya

The main objective of this study was to assess the influence of family communication patterns on substance use disorders among the youth in selected rehabilitation centers in Nairobi, Kenya. The study was guided by the family structure theory. The research design was mixed method convergent parallel design. The target population was 303 youth in selected rehabilitation centers in Nairobi County, aged between 18-35 years and their parents. A sample of 172 clients was obtained and selected randomly to take part in quantitative study. Another 12 clients who had stayed in rehabilitation centers for the longest time were purposively selected in order to provide qualitative data. Similarly, 12 parents were conveniently selected in order to provide qualitative data. Therefore, the total sample size comprised of 196 respondents. Quantitative data was collected using FACES-IV, AUDIT 10, and DAST-10 questionnaires while qualitative data was collected using interview guides. Quantitative data analysis used descriptive statistics and inferential statistics while qualitative data was analysed thematically backed by narratives from respondents. The study found out that communication was very poor among the respondents. Further, there was indication of a weak and insignificant correlation between family communication and substance use disorder. From these findings, the study recommended that parents need to be firm as they bring up the youth and improve on communication patterns in order to improve on SUDs in one way or another.