DRUG ADDICTION: SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS AMONG PERSON UNDER SURVEILLANCE (PUS)

Background and Purpose: Statistics show that  substance abuse is increasing worldwide. In Malaysia, most data in regards to drug addicts are less focussed on the Person Under Surveillance (PUS). Hence, this study aims to describe the sociodemographic factors among PUS  associated with drug addiction.   Methodology: A quantitative cross-sectional study was used to a total of 126 PUS respondents from the National Anti-Drug Agency (NADA) Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia, who fulfilled the inclusion criteria. A set of i-Qalbu questionnaires was distributed.   Findings: The results of the study showed that majority of the respondents fell into the age category of 31 to 40 years (43%). Most of them worked as laborers (56.4%) while their level of education is at the SPM level (41.2%). More than half of the respondents lived in the city (57.1%) and most of them stayed with their parents. This study discovered that more than 50% of respondents agreed that most family members are very concerned about them, before and after addiction. Besides that, it was found that  individual factor (46.8%) and friend’s influence (46.0%) are among the main factors that caused their involvement with drug addiction.   Conclusion:  This study has provided data regarding sociodemographic factors among PUS in Kuala Terengganu. Further study should be conducted  by focusing on a wider population of PUS regarding the drug addiction factors in Malaysia.   Contributions: This study provides information on sociodemographic factors among PUS as there is still less research conducted and fewer data available, which can be used for earlier prevention of drug addiction.   Keywords: Person under surveillance, drug addiction, sociodemographic factors.   Cite as: Ngah, R., Mohamad, N., Mohamed@Hashim, Z. I., Abd Aziz, A., Mohd Adnan, L. H., & Mustafa, N. S. (2021). Drug addiction: Sociodemographic factors among person under surveillance (PUS). Trends in Social Sciences, 3(2), 34-47.