Prevalence, Predictors of Drug and Substance Use, Their Psychosocial and Academic Effects on Secondary School Students in North-Eastern Nigeria: A Review ()
ABSTRACT
Drug and substance use and
abuse among secondary school students in North-Eastern Nigeria is a growing concern among
stakeholders in the education sector, especially in the last decade. This
menace has been linked to many negative consequences, including physical,
psychological, and academic problems. While some studies have shown that the
menace is low, others have shown that it is high and associated with various
psycho-social and academic impacts. All the studies, however, agree on the
prevalence and the associated educational effects. These studies have shown
that various factors influence or sustain drug or substance habits.
Predisposing factors related to a person’s background, such as family history,
upbringing, personal history, curiosity, peer pressure, and some life events
like grief, divorce, re-marriage, loss of job, and change of home or school.
Precipitating factors are psychological and physical factors that could trigger
the tendency to use drugs or substances to cope. Such factors include stress,
excessive pain, illness, and trauma from sexual, physical, and emotional abuse.
Perpetuating factors are responsible for sustaining a person’s drug or
substance habit, such as associating with bad company and getting a pleasurable
or material reward from any drug or substance that enhances performance in
crime, sex, sports, music, or manual work. This study recommends the following:
Increasing sensitization and awareness campaigns on the dangers of drugs and
substance abuse, strengthening and funding law enforcement agencies to arrest
and prosecute those selling illicit drugs and substances, enhancing parental
guidance and monitoring of children to prevent and detect early signs of drug
and substance use, implementing strict disciplinary measures and sanctions for
students caught with drugs or substances, employing trained counselors and
school psychologists to support and guide students, establishing rehabilitation
centers to assist and treat students struggling with addictions from drug and
substance abuse, establishing drug control and prevention clubs in secondary
schools to equip students with the necessary skills to resist temptations
related to substance use, and data collection, storage, and funding research
activities for plans and policies.