Prevalence of Substance Abuse Among University Undergraduates

Abstract

The study investigated how many university students in private, state, and federal institutions abuse chemical substances. It also compared the three types of institution to know where abuse of substances is more prevalent. The population for the study were all university undergraduates from Ekiti State. The sample is made up of 450 respondents’ selected using simple randomization and purposive sampling technique with 115 participants from private institutions, 165 from state owned institutions and 170 participants from federal institutions. A Google Form questionnaire tagged Prevalence of Substance Abuse Scale (PSAS) was created, validated and used for data collection. Results; No significant difference could be determined in terms of gender on the prevalence of substance abuse among undergraduate students (F(1, 448) = 0.581, p <.05). A significant difference was detected in terms of age (F (3, 447) = 0.088, p < .05). It revealed a non-significant effect on the prevalence of substance abuse among undergraduates across different universities (private, state, and federal) (F(2, 447) = 0.084, p < 0.05). It was suggested that universities should have an active counselling centre with trained counsellors to help people who struggle with substance abuse. Counsellors should work with the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) to hold events like awareness campaigns, seminars, and workshops to enlighten students about the negative effects of substance abuse.