INTRODUCTION:

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 issues¹. The abuse of this psychoactive drugs has resulted in a significant public health problem, with lifelong substance use by adolescents often exceeding 50%². This research focused on substances that are often consumed by teenagers, such as alcohol, cigarettes, hemp, and caffeine, among others.

The high prevalence of caffeine use and its relationship with the brain fag syndrome among students, further justify its inclusion. These “gateway” substances have very high prevalence rates. Adolescents begin using them and then progress to cocaine, methamphetamine, and other drugs, impairing their development. The issue of drug use among university students in Nigeria has become a recognized phenomenon because the harmful effects of psychoactive drugs on students are far-reaching and diverse, resulting in conflict among individuals and a significant cause of preventable mortality and morbidity². Many studies have been conducted in Nigeria with a focus on high school students; however, studies among university undergraduates are scarce; this justifies the need to conduct this research among undergraduate students at Delta State University, Abraka. The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of psychoactive drug use and the factors that influence it among Delta State University, students.

METHODS:

Study Design:

The descriptive cross-sectional study design was used for this study.

Study Setting:

Delta State University, Abraka (DELSU) is a government-owned university in Delta State, Nigeria. Students of the university have access to a healthcare facility, and a university health center. DELSU has its main campus in Abraka and annex campuses at Anwai in Asaba and Oleh in Isoko respectively. The university runs a multi-campus system with three campuses located about 200 km apart. Abraka campus has the following Faculties: Faculty of Pharmacy, College of Basic Medical Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Faculty of Education and Faculty of Arts. The university also has other Faculties at Oleh (Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Law) and Asaba (Faculty of Management Sciences and Faculty of Fishery) campuses respectively.

Study Population:

Undergraduates of Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria.

Sample Size Determination:

The Yamane formula³ was used for the study, with a confidence level of 95% and level of precision set at 0.05.

N = ---------------

(1+ N (e)²)

Where;

n = sample size

N = population size

e = level of precision

21000

n = -----------------------

(1 + 21000(0.05)²)

n = 392.5

n = 393

Inclusion Criteria:

Bonafide undergraduates of Delta State University, Abraka who had a valid means of identification (student identity card).

Exclusion Criteria:

Students without a valid means of identification and those who refused consent were excluded from the study.

Ethical Consideration:

Ethical approval for this study as required was obtained from Lily Hospital Health Research Ethics Committee, Delta State (LH/HREC-EOB/0018/20).

Instrument for Data Collection:

A self-administered pretested questionnaire was used for this study. The questionnaire was developed from review of relevant literatures^4,5 and study tools by adhering to the main aim of the study. The questionnaire was made up of open-ended questions. The questionnaire was pre-tested using 12 undergraduate students of the Faculty of Pharmacy Delta State University, Abraka. The students were randomly selected to ensure that the contents were adequately understood. The questionnaire consists of “three (3) sections (Section A – C) with a total of 30 questions. Section A comprised of the socio-demographic characteristics and family history of substance use of the participant; Section B comprised the prevalence of psychoactive substance use among undergraduates while Section C is made up of the perceived factors responsible for the use of psychoactive substance among students”. The data was collected by the researcher during the day when the participants were in school.

Data Collection:

Questionnaires were distributed to undergraduates present in school as at the time of the study (100, 400 and 500 level). This was due to the University policy because of corona virus pandemic, and the researcher retrieved the completed questionnaires.

Data Analysis:

The completed questionnaires were carefully sorted out, coded and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The data generated from the study were presented as frequencies and percentages.

RESULTS :

Socio-demographic data of Respondent:

Out of 393 students who participated in the study, a total of 385 completed the questionnaires making the response rate of 98%. Respondents were mainly males 246(63.9%), Table 1 shows that first and final year students had no family history for use of psychoactive substances, 285(74%). Majority of the respondents were single 379(98.5%) while only a few were married 6(1.5%).

Prevalence of the use of psychoactive substance:

The majority of respondents, 225 (58.3%), said that they had heard of psychoactive drugs, while 42 (11%) said 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 drug known to respondents, with frequencies of 225(58,3%) and 118 (30.7%), respectively

Table 1: Sociodemographic characteristics of the respondents (N=385)

Variables	Frequency	Percentage
Sex
Male	246	63.9
Female	139	36.1
Age (years)
16-20	169	44.0
21-29	204	53.0
>30	12	3.0
Marital status
Single	379	98.5
Married	6	1.5
Family history of use of psychoactive substance
No	285	74.0
Not sure	100	26.0

Table 2: Prevalence of the use of psychoactive substance (N=385)

Variables		N(%)
Have you ever heard about substance use
	Yes	225(58.3)
	No	118(30.7)
	Not sure	42(11.0)
What is your source of information
	Media	209(54.3)
	Family	107(27.7)
	Friends	39(10.3)
	hospital/medical personnel	30(7.7)
Which substances are you aware of?
	Cocaine	42(11.0)
	Marijuana	225(58.3)
	Skunk (SK)	118(30.7)
Do you smoke?
	Yes	188(48.7)
	No	197(51.3)
When was the last time you smoke cigarette?
	1-7 days ago	68(17.7)
	8-14 days ago	109(28.3)
	15-30 days ago	95(24.7)
	over a month ago	113(29.3)
How often do you smoke cigarette during the last 30days?
	Very often	91(23.7)
	Often	199(51.7)
	Rarely	95(24.7)
When was the last time you drank alcohol?
	I never drank alcohol	84(21.7)
	1-7 days ago	64(16.7)
	8-14 days ago	63(16.3)
	15-30 days ago	47(12.3)
	over a month ago	127(33.0)

A much smaller proportion of respondents, 197(51.3%), had never smoked a cigarette, whereas 188(48.7%) of the total population has used marijuana or SK. The study also revealed that 127(33%) of respondents had had an alcoholic beverage in the last 30 days, with just 135(35.0%) of respondents being frequent alcoholic beverage drinkers. The majority of responders 225(58.3%) took tranquilizer or seductive drugs, with only a few 42(11%) unsure. Majority of the respondents 225(58.3%) smoked marijuana or cannabis. (Table 3).

Table 3: Prevalence of the use of psychoactive substance contd (N=385)

Variables		N(%)
How often do you take alcohol beverage during the last 30 days?
	Very often	135(35.0)
	Often	136(35.3)
	Rarely	114(29.7)
Have you ever taken tranquilizer or seductive?
	Yes	225(58.3)
	No	118(30.7)
	not sure	42(11.0)
If (yes) to the above question, how often do you take it?
	Very often	99(25.7)
	Often	135(35.0)
	Rarely	151(39.3)
Have you ever taken Marijuana/cannabis
	Yes	225(58.3)
	No	118(30.7)
	Not sure	42(11.0)
If (yes) to above question, how often do you take it?
	Very often	91(23.6)
	Often	88(22.9)
	Rarely	206(53.5)
When was the first time you took marijuana?
	9 years or less	271(70.4)
	10-15 years	89(23.1)
	16-25 years	25(6.5)
	25-30 years	0(0)
On how many occasions have you used cocaine/crack?
	Never	198(51.5)
	1-2 times	34(8.8)
	3-5 times	60(15.6)
	11time and above	93(24.1)

Factors responsible for substance use:

The majority of students cited improving academic achievement as a justification for using psychoactive substances 332. (86.3%) (Table 4).

Table 4: Factors responsible for substance use (N=385)

Variables	Yes (%)	No (%)
To increase academic performance	332(86.3)	53(13.7)
To get personal pleasure	328(85.3)	57(14.7)
To get relief from academic tension	328(85.3)	57(14.7)
As a result of pressure from peers	327(85.0)	58(15.0)
To stay awake at night	327(85.0)	58(15.0)
Due to academic dissatisfaction	327(85.0)	58(15.0)
To be sociable	327(85.0)	58(15.0)
To increase pleasure during sexual intercourse	327(85.0)	58(15.0)
To get relief from tension	58(15.0)	327(85.0)
For the sake of acceptance by other	327(85.0)	58(15.0)
Due to religious practice	327(85.0)	58(15.0)

DISCUSSION:

This study assessed the prevalence of psychoactive drugs used by Delta State University students in Abraka, as well as the factors that influence their usage. The study's male respondents outnumbered the females by a wide margin. This is consistent with the findings of a research conducted in North Ethiopia, where men comprised the majority of respondents⁴. A larger proportion of respondents were between the ages of 21 and 29. This is consistent with the findings of a survey conducted among undergraduates at Madonna University in Elele, River State, which revealed a similar age distribution with a frequency of 262(89.4%) and a range of 21-30 years⁵. However, this is inconsistent with findings of a related study which reported that all their respondents were between the age of 17 and 18 years⁶. Most undergraduates are young individuals who are still flexible, making them more susceptible to lifestyle changes than older folks. According to the findings of the study, the majority of the respondents had no family history of using psychoactive substances. Among undergraduates, more than nine out of ten students had heard about the usage of psychoactive substances. The media was cited as the primary source of information by the majority of students. This is consistent with the findings of a research conducted in Lagos, which revealed a very high proportion of knowledge, with the media being the most prevalent source of information⁷.

The prevalence of psychoactive substance use among undergraduates in the current study was reported to be quite high, higher than the prevalences of 20.1%, 21.8%, and 27% reported in similar studies among undergraduates in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, and Uyo, Nigeria, respectively^8-10. This is however, lower than that reported by Nayak (56%)¹¹. Several surveys have shown that male undergraduates are more likely to consume drugs or alcohol. A survey of Romanian undergraduates found a prevalence of 14.2% among males and 6.8% among females¹², while a study in India found a prevalence of 30% in males and 11.67% in females¹³. However, André et al., found no major gender differences in the use of alcohol, cigarettes, and illegal drugs in a survey conducted in Brazil¹⁴. According to this report, males were slightly more likely to use psychoactive substances than females. This is in line with the findings of a study by Vidona et al., who reported that more males abused drugs than females in their study¹⁵. The consequence of this is that males actively engage in psychoactive substance use, therefore they should be target group for rehabilitation and reorientation. Possible explanations for the higher prevalence of psychoactive substance use among male students compared to females in the current study include the fact that more female students live in university hostels than males, and thus the males have a greater chance of succumbing to peer influence. This contradicts the findings of Onukogu et al., who discovered in their research that students living on campus used more drugs than those living off campus¹⁶. Of the drugs used in the current survey, marijuana and SK were the most commonly used by students, although about four out of every ten of them used cocaine. However, a few respondents claimed that they drank alcohol on a regular basis. Similar studies in Ethiopia and North India have reported high use of alcohol and marijuana among undergraduates^8,17. The prevalence of smoking of cigarette among our respondents was relatively high. This is in contrast to the findings of a study in Malaysia which reported a lower prevalence of smoking among their respondents¹⁸.

Several factors have been reported as influencing undergraduates' use of psychoactive drugs at Delta State University, Abraka. According to the findings of the report, the majority of students accepted that psychoactive drugs were used to improve their academic performance. This is the most common factor predisposing the students to psychoactive substance use. However, a significant number of respondents cited personal gratification as a predisposing factor to drug use, which in turn increases sexual desire by stimulating sex hormones, and relaxation from academic anxiety to calming stress/tension. Other related studies have reported that peer group effect and curiosity were perceived as being responsible for substance use by 23% and 27% of the respondents, respectively^10,19. Another research comparing drug users and non-users described social control, interest, and a sense of maturation as the primary factors for beginning substance use. Because of personal/family values and knowledge of the health consequences, non-users never succumbed to drug abuse²⁰.

CONCLUSION:

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.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:

The authors are grateful to the Health Research Ethics Committee, Lily Hospital, Delta State for granting the permission to carry out this study.

CONFLICT OF INTEREST:

Authors do not have a conflict of interest.

REFERENCES:

1. Makanjuola AB, Daramola TO, Obembe AO. Psychoactive substance use among medical students in a Nigerian university. World Psych, 2007; 6: 112-114. PMID: 18235869; PMCID: PMC2219911

2. Akanni OO, Adayonfo EO. Correlates of psychoactive substance use among Nigerian adolescents. Sahel Medical Journal 2015; 18:192-9. Doi:10.4103/1118-8561.176586

3. Yamane T. Statistics: an introduction analysis. Harper and Row, 1973. New York

4. Gebreslassie M, Feleke A, Melese T. Psychoactive substance use and associated factors among Axum university students, Axum Town, North Ethiopia. Biomed Central Public Health 2013; 13(1): 693. https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2458-13-693

5. Chukwujekwu CD. Psychoactive Substance Use Among Nigerian Students; Patterns and Sociodemographic Correlates. American Journal of Psychiatry & Neuroscience 2017; 5(2): 22-25. doi: 10.11648/j.ajpn.20170502.13

6. Jarali AB, Ogonch PO. Knowledge of Substance Abuse among Adolescents. International Journal of Advances in Nursing Management 2016; 4(3): 371-375. DOI:10.5958/2454-2660.2016.00066.1

7. Oshikoya KA, Alli A. Perception of drug abuse among Nigerian students. World Journal of Medical Sciences 2006; 1(2): 133-139.

8. Aklog T, Tiruneh G, Tsegay G. Assessment of Substance Abuse and Associated factors among students of Debre Markos Poly Technique College in Debre Markos Town, East Gojjam Zone, Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Global Journal of Medical Research 2013; 13(4): 4-15. UR - https://medicalresearchjournal.org/index.php/GJMR/article/view/377

9. Tulu SK, Wosen K. Assessment of Causes, Prevalence and Consequences of Alcohol and Drug Abuse among Mekelle University, CSSL 2nd Year Students. American Journal of Applied Psychology 2015; 3(3): 47-56. DOI: 10.12691/ajap-3-3-1

10. Vernic C, Ursoniu S, Vlaicu B. Prevalence and Perceived Risks of Drug Use among Undergraduate Students from Timis County: A Cross Sectional Study. Annals. Computer Science Series 2010; 8(2): 113-120.

11. Nayak D. Knowledge and Practice of Substance among the Adolescent Group- A Descriptive Study. International Journal of Nursing Education and Research 2016; 4(2): 119-121. DOI: 10.5958/2454-2660.2016.00027.2

12. Johnson OE, Akpanekpo EI, Okonna EM, Adeboye SE, Udoh AJ. The Prevalence and Factors affecting Psychoactive Substance Use among Undergraduate Students in University of Uyo, Nigeria. Journal of Community Medicine and Primary Health Care 2017; 29(2) 11-22.

13. Arora A, Kannan S, Gowri S, Choudhary S, Sudarasanan SK. Substance abuse among medical graduate students in a developing country. Indian Journal of Medical Research 2016; 143: 101-103. doi: 10.4103/0971-5916.178617

14. André M, Luciana RDC, Ricardo AA, Verena CVS. Gender parity and drug use: are girls catching up with boys? Revista Brasileiria de Psiquiatria 2012; 34(1): 16-23. PMID: 22392384

15. Vidona WB, Wadioni A, Okeke SN, Bodo T. Evaluation of Psychoactive Substance Use and Risk Factors among Public School Students of Rivers State, Nigeria. Asian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research 2017; 7 (3): 175-182. DOI: 10.5958/2231-5691.2017.00027.2

16. Onukogu U, Ekpe EE, Edet BA. Pattern of psychoactive substance use among university students in a south-south community in Nigeria. National Institute on Drug Abuse Abstract Database. 2012. Available at www.drugabuse.gov/international/abstract accessed on March 3, 2021.

17. Gupta S, Sarpal SS, Kumar D, Kaur T, Arora S. Prevalence, pattern and familial effects of substance use among the male college students - a North Indian Study. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research 2013; 7(8): 1632-1636. DOI: 10.7860/JCDR/2013/6441.3215

18. Myat Moe Thwe Aung, San San Oo, Azmi Bin Hassan, Safiya Binti Amaran, Megat Mustaqim, et Bin MegatIskandar, Aniza Binti Abd Aziz, Rahmah Bonti Mohd Amin, et al. Prevalence study on Tobacco Smoking and Related Factors of among Residents of a Suburb Kuala Terengganu, Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology 2019; 12(5):2430-2438. Doi; 10.5958/0974-360X.2019.00408.6

19. Omage EI, Omage MI. Illicit Drugs Use and Dependency among Teenagers and Young Adults in Oredo Local Government Area, Benin City, Nigeria. European Scientific Journal 2012; 8(20): 187-210. DOI:10.19044/ESJ.2012.V8N20P%P

20. Gopiram P, Kishore MT. Psychosocial attributes of substance abuse among adolescents and young adults: A comparative study of users and nonusers. Indian Journal of Psychological Medicine 2014; 36: 58-61. doi: 10.4103/0253-7176.127252.

Received on 22.05.2021 Modified on 10.07.2021

Research J. Pharm.and Tech 2022; 15(2):837-841.

DOI: 10.52711/0974-360X.2022.00139