Demographic Determinants Of Drug Abuse Among Undergraduate Youths In South-Eastern Communities In Nigeria

Abstract

The menace of drug abuse on the social, academic and health of students in tertiary institutions calls for an urgent intervention by social agencies such as Education (Science Education). This study investigated demographic determinants of drug abuse among undergraduate youths in South-Eastern communities Nigeria using a Cross-sectional survey research design. The population for the study comprised all South-Eastern Nigerian youths. A sample of 500 youths from five tertiary institutions, one each from 5 States in South-Eastern Nigeria (Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States) through Simple Random Sampling technique without replacement was used for the study. Data for the study were obtained through researchers’ self-made questionnaire. The analysis of data was conducted using frequency, percentage, bar chart and structural equation modeling statistical approach. The result obtained indicated that the youths in tertiary institutions in southeast Nigeria abuse drugs to a high extent. It was found that the drugs mostly abused by these youths (SEN) include Cannabis, tranquilizers, alcohol, tobacco and inhalants among others. The findings indicated that gender; levels of education, nature of upbringing and family size are significant determinants of drug abuse among the southeast Nigerian youths. Implication of the study indicates that more males are more addicted than females. This implies that more preventive measures should be geared towards male youths’ drug intake. In view of the above findings, this study recommends an urgent social intervention aimed at educating parents on better children upbringing and encouraging parents to avoid having too many children more than they can take care of.