Abstract

Childhood is a critical stage of development that shapes emotional stability, social behaviour, and long-term life outcomes. Adverse childhood experiences and environmental factors increase vulnerability to substance abuse and criminal behaviour. Guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, this study examines the influence of childhood environmental factors on prisoners with a history of drug addiction, focusing on interactions across the Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, and Chronosystem. A descriptive survey design with a qualitative component was employed. A sample of 57 prisoners from an open prison camp in Kandy was selected based on the central limit theorem. Data were collected using a self-administered structured questionnaire aligned with the five ecological systems and supplemented by semi-structured interviews. Ethical approval and informed consent were obtained prior to data collection. Findings indicated that drug-related imprisonment occurred across all religious groups. Most respondents had low educational attainment, with the majority completing schooling only up to Grade 9, and were engaged in realistic jobs. The results demonstrate that imprisonment is the outcome of multiple interconnected childhood influences rather than a single factor. At the Microsystem level, family support, teachers, religious education, and access to medical care exerted positive influences, while peers and neighborhoods environments showed negative effects. Mesosystem interactions, particularly parent–teacher communication, were weak and inconsistent. Exosystem factors such as parents’ work conditions, school administration, economic challenges, and healthcare access negatively affected well-being. At the Macrosystem level, cultural and social influences were uneven, with limited access to technology and weak community organizational support. Chronosystem analysis revealed that personal and family-level transitions had a stronger influence than broader national or environmental events. Statistical analysis confirmed significant differences among the ecological systems (Friedman χ² = 153.045, df = 4, p < .001). The microsystem recorded the highest mean rank (4.49), indicating the strongest influence, while the Mesosystem recorded the lowest mean rank (1.60), and reflecting weak or uneven support. Pairwise comparison tests identified statistically significant differences in six out of ten system comparisons. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening protective childhood environments across all ecological levels to reduce substance abuse and criminal involvement.

Keywords

  • Childhood environment
  • ecological systems theory

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