Drug Abuse in Nigerian Adolescents: Patterns and Determinants among Senior Secondary School Students

Background: Nigeria has on numerous occasions, been identified as a major node in the supply chain of abused drugs and substances on theAfrican continent.Adolescents living in Nigeria have especially been implicated and the prevalence of drug abuse is both high and on the rise among this population. The susceptibility of adolescents to pleasurable stimuli and peer-influence in habit formation makes them an important age-group in research of this nature that seeks to inform future initiatives towards reducing the prevalence and consequences of drug abuse. Method: Secondary schools were randomly sampled within the Federal Capital Territory, and students in the senior secondary classes between the ages 13 and 18 were included in the study.Acrosssectional survey was conducted using self-administered questionnaires. The study tool was used to obtain demographic information and to collect data on the knowledge of the participants about drug abuse, their attitude towards drug abuse and its sufferers, and their practices pertaining to drug abuse. Results: All the study participants had used drugs non-medically, but only 42% reported to have used psychoactive substances at one point or the other. The most commonly used drugs/substances include vitamin C, antibiotics, alcohol, caffeine products, and cigarettes. The participants showed a pattern of drug abuse that statistically correlated with their environmental exposure to drug abuse (characterized by the number and types of drugs they had witnessed being abused). Conclusion: This study provides basis for more in-depth studies of the local/cultural contexts, socioeconomic and other demographic factors that may significantly contribute to the prevalence of drug abuse and modify its pattern, towards designing data-backed approaches to drug abuse prevention among Nigerian adolescents.