The Prevalence of Psychoactive Substance use and related factors among Delta State University, Students

Abstract

The use of psychoactive substances is becoming more common in many African countries. In Nigeria, a significant portion of the national budgetary welfare funding is used for the care and recovery of individuals with drug abuse issues. The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of psychoactive drug use and the factors that influence it among undergraduate students of Delta State University, Abraka using descriptive cross-sectional study design. For this study, a self-administered pretested questionnaire was used. The questionnaire was developed from review of relevant literature and study tools by adhering to the main aim of the study. The majority of respondents, 225(58.3%), said that they had heard of psychoactive drugs, while 42(11%) said that they had no idea what they were. Majority of the respondents got information about psychoactive substance from the media 209(54.3%). Marijuana and SK were the most common psychoactive drugs known to respondents, with frequencies of 225(58.3%) and 118(30.7%), respectively. The majority of students cited improving academic achievement as a justification for using psychoactive substances 332(86.3%). According to the findings of the survey, a greater percentage of the undergraduates who took part in the study admitted to using psychoactive drugs. The most common cause that predisposes students to drug use is the need to improve their academic performance. The research also revealed that weed and SK were the most commonly abused psychoactive drugs by undergraduates. The rate of use of psychoactive substances among university students is disturbing and needs immediate attention.