IMPACT OF DRUG ABUSE ON PSYCHO-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR AMONG YOUTHS IN CHIKUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF KADUNA STATE

ABSTRACT

The study examined Impact of Drug Abuse on Psycho-Social Behaviour among Youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Objectively, five research questions were formulated. The survey design was used in the study. The sample size was 300. 300 questionnaires were administered to the respondents, but 278 were answered correctly. So 278 questionnaires were used in the study. The data gathered were analysed using simple percentage, frequency and mean. The studies revealed that in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State the level of drug abuse among youths is high; the types of drugs commonly abuse among the youths are Codeine, Cigarette, Indian Hemp and Alcohol; the causes of drug abuse among youths are peer group pressure, academic stress, anxiety and tension, and media influence; the impact of drug abuse on psycho-social behavior among youths are academic failure, examination malpractice, health problem and social vices. Based on the findings, the researcher concluded and recommended that the possible solutions to the menace of drug abuse among youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State are proper orientation of youths, counseling, enforcement of drug related laws and punishment of drug abuse users respectively.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1       Background to the Study

Drugs abuse are on the rise among the youths across the globe. Studies indicate that drugs abuse behaviours generally begin during youthful age whose consequences pose important public health problems (Tripodi, Bender, Litschge, & Vaughn, 2021). A youth is any person between the age of 15 years and 30 years regardless of the gender (Medium.com, 2024). As Ahmad, Khalique, Khan, & Amir (2023) found that drugs abuse was negligible among 10-13 year old but a bit marked among 14-15 year old and maximum in 16-19 years of age. Several psychosocial behaviours have been associated with drugs abuse. Particularly, peer pressure, media portrayal of drug-use by celebrities, (Malhotra, Sharma, Saxena, & Ingle, 2023) lucrative advertisements, attractive packaging and expectations of joy are commonly associated with harmful use of drugs by the youths (Kangule, Darbastwar, & Kokiwar, 2022) In general, it is widely accepted that peers, social environment, family and subjective factors play a vital role in drugs abuse behaviors among the youths.

In Nigeria, many youths at one time or the other have taken drugs without prescription by a Medical Personnel and oftentimes for non-medical reasons. The use of herbs, leaves and plants have been used to heal and control diseases. Mohammed (2020) report that down throughout the ages, human beings have consumed drugs in different forms for various reasons including the diagnosis, prevention of suffering and pains, for relaxation and pleasure. It is worth          knowing that synthesized substances known as drugs are widely used either in prescribed form or non-prescribed form all over the world (Umar & Suleiman, 2023). Drugs are thus chemical substances taken into the body or applied to the body surface not as food but for the prevention, control and treatment of diseases symptoms or for diagnostic purposes (Mustapha, 2021).

The World Health Organization (WHO) defined drug abuse as “the harmful or hazardous use of psychoactive substances, including alcohol and illicit drugs. Balogun (2021) considered it as a substance that modifies perceptions, cognition, mood, behavior and general body functions. They are often term as chemical modifiers of the living tissues that could bring about physiological and behavioral changes.

Drug abuse is a major problem facing the world in which Nigeria is not an exception. Abuse of drugs is common among high school students aged between 13 and 18 years. (Karen Lesly, 2020; Parrott, Morinam, Moss & Scholey, 2020).

Drug abuse and other associated problems constitute a major threat to the survival and effective functioning of human society (Haruna, 2019). Reports show that lives are daily lost through drug dependency and activities of addicts. A significant number of deaths from accidents, violent crimes and cultism can be traced to activities of persons under the influence of drugs. The Nigerian Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA2023), an agency set up by government to control the incidence of drug abuse contain that drug abuse is on the increase in Nigeria. The problem of drug abuse has been attributed to several factors including psychological, environmental, sociological and genetic (biological) make-up of the person that affect behavior, personality and individual’s responses to various stimuli (Mohammad, 2020).

Common drugs that are often abused include alcohol, heroin, cocaine and marijuana. Young youths use drugs as a way of rebelling against parents or authority, in order to feel like adults, to fit in and belong to a group of other youths, to satisfy their curiosity and to simply derive pleasure from the short term effects of drugs. Abusers with underlying social or psychological problems are particularly at high risk of drug abuse. However where these drugs are not used correctly, they produce unacceptable consequences to the user’s mental health. Falco (2019) as cited by Sambo (2020) viewed that “Chronic use of substances can cause serious and irreversible damage to adolescent’s physical and psychological development. In the same vein, drug abuse is associated with a broad range of high risk behavior which has a profound health, economic and social consequences. For instance, some youths participate in deviant peer groups, unprotected sexual intercourse, inter-personal violence, destruction of property and of course perform poorly in their studies. Many youths seem to think of experimentation with hard drugs as an acceptable part of transition into adulthood. It is thus worsened by complex socio-economic challenges such as unemployment, poverty and crime in general (United Nations, 2020).

Higher doses or excessive intake of these drugs usually produce visual or auditory hallucinations or both. Drug abuse also affects the individual’s health and welfare which interfere with the educational and social well-being of the victim. The effects in the long run could lead to examination malpractices, bribery and corruption, anti-social tendencies including assassination and rape. (Asuquo P.N, Owan, V.O, Inaja A.E & Okon M.O, 2021). NDLEA also ensures that only those who require drugs genuinely get them as they continually fight the menace in our society. The study therefore focused on students in our secondary schools who in their formative years are more vulnerable to peer influence and the menace of drug abuse.

There are high cases of drug abuse among senior secondary school students in Nigeria. This behaviour as a result of youth unrest has assumed a dangerous dimension that every stakeholder of the educational system and the nation at large are at a crux. This attitude is common among youths and youths who are considered to be leaders of the future

Drugs and drug taking behaviour encompassing culturally specifically sanctioned and unsanctioned drug taking behavior have been part of different societies since the inception of civilization. Throughout history alcohol and mood altering or psychoactive chemicals, derived chiefly from plants have been used for social, medical religious or spiritual purposes. The magical qualities that these substances have to alter consciousness, to change mood, to modify perception, or to energize the body among other effects has resulted in more highly individualized motives and in more widespread use. Youths for example have come to rely on psychoactive drugs, many of which are the products of the pharmacological revolution that began in the 1950s, to help them cope either with the tensions and strains of everyday living, or to alter unwanted feelings or emotions. For many others, the social recreational use of psychoactive drugs has become increasingly popular.

One result of the more widespread use of drugs which have found their way from prescription pads to the streets, is a concern principally in Western nations that such use is ruining the very fabric of their societies. In the United States for example there is a strong preoccupation with problems caused by illicit street drugs. This concern has spawned a host of attitudes, psychoactive drugs is a serious, perhaps the most serious social ill that requires counseling interventions.

Drug abuse is a major problem that has characterized the enormous crises facing Nigeria today. The critical problem is that in spite of the various measures adapted to prevent drug abuse on Nigerian youths, we continue to have increasing number of drug abusers or addicts. The menace with its psychosocial disorder is becoming alarming in the recent times. As an anti-social behaviour, it has wrecked and destroyed a lot of youths in the society. UNESCO (2023) reported that about 76.3million youths struggle with alcohol disorders, contributing to 1.8million deaths per year. The United Nations (2024) reported that around 185 million youths globally over the age of 15 were consuming drugs by the end of the 20^th century.

Statistics available shows that from January 1999 to July 2020, more than 321 patients were admitted at the Federal Psychiatry Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State on account of drug abuse. The impact of drug abuse among Nigerian youths has been a hallmark of a morally bankrupt, decadent and wasted generation and loss of our societal values and ideals. The situation now appears to be such that no one can claim ignorance of what is happening. We cannot sit on the fence and criminally pretend on the menace of drug abuse among our young youths.

Little wonder, then that the immediate past UN Secretary General, Kofi Annan once said “Drugs are tearing apart our societies, spawning crime, spreading diseases such as aids, and killing our youths and our future” (West Africa Commission on Drugs, 2023).

The habitual use of drugs during occasions endangers the lives of youths. They are thus abused when they are used more than the quantity generally accepted within the society. It has also been observed that there is high rate of consumption and misuse of drugs by the youths especially in the secondary schools. This has a negative implication on their educational performances, risky sexual behaviours resulting to teenage pregnancy, personality disorder and impaired cognitive functioning that result to regular tiredness and sleeping in class. Other psychological behaviours include disobedience to school rules, acting in a negative way in school and behaviours that may signal the beginning of mental disorder.

Therefore, in the light of the above, the study seeks to investigate Impact of Drug Abuse on Psycho-Social Behavior among Youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

1.2       Statement of the Problem

A report by National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC (2018) noted that the abuse of licit and illicit drugs is forming a youth sub-culture in Nigeria. This development is a significant concern for Nigerian society. When a drug is abused it causes injury to the brain and often irreversible alterations in the central nervous systems. When psychoactive drugs destroy several thousand neurons, the consequences are fatal and a number of youths end up developing anti-social behavioural problems when under the control of this mode stimulating and controlling drug and some have died from drug overdoses (Ekpenyong, 2022).

The increasing availability of a variety of drugs to an ever widening socio-economic spectrum of consumers is disconcerting. Prescription and over the counter buying of drugs are abused when taken without the specified medical condition and proper prescription. Some of these drugs can be mood elevators, pain killers or antidepressants.

Prescription drugs are drugs that are certify by a medical practitioner as a source of cure for ailment. Drug abuse has negative impact on the social behaviour of youths all over the world. The overall health of the user is affected negatively and behaviours associated with drug abuse predispose the abuser to crime and contagious diseases including HIV/AIDS (Centre for Disease Control, 2022).

Despite National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control NAFDAC/NDLEA and other organization-based interventions, drug abuse is on the rise with over 40% of youths abusing various types of drugs (Ekpenyong, 2022). Drug abuse appears to be a well-entrenched behaviour among youths. Drug abuse has become a threat to the lives and success of the youth. This is evidently a source of sorrow to parents, guardians and relatives. It is also a big challenge to the whole nation. Drug and drug abuse affect academic performance and mental health, cause physiological and psychiatric disturbances and have been perceived to be the major cause in poor academic performance of youths, physical health problem, poor finance, emotional problems, memory impairment, risk factor for most chronic diseases, problems with family relationships and so forth. The consequence of chewing kola nut, taking bland coffee and other drugs that enhance one to stay awake at night could lead to addiction and drug abuse which may result in negative health implications and adversely affect performance in examination contrary to the expectation of youths who take it to stay awake and read at night. Drug abuse has some educational, social, economic, psychological, cultural, physical and moral health consequences that may lead to low academic performance, poverty, disability, maladjustment or death of the abusers. Its use aid crime rate, cultism, mental illness, low self-esteem and self-respect, injuries to one’s health, becoming a social outcast, bringing shame to their kin and low academic performance and in some instances complete withdrawal from school.

The study, therefore, is aimed at investigating Impact of Drug Abuse on Pycho-Social Behavior among Youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

1.3       Objectives of the Study

The main objective of this research is to determine the Impact of Drug Abuse on Social Behavior among Youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The specific objectives are to:

1. Determine the level of drug abuse among youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
2. Find out common drugs that are mostly abuse among youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
3. Ascertain the causes of drug abuse among youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
4. Investigate the impact of drug abuse on social behaviour among youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
5. Proffer possible solutions to the menace of drug abuse among youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

1.4       Research Questions

To achieve the objective of the research, the following research questions were raised:

1. What is the level of drug abuse among youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State?
2. What are the reasons that propel youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State to engage in drug abuse?
3. What are the types of drugs commonly abused by youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State?
4. What is the impact of drug abuse on psycho-social behavior among youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State?
5. What are the possible solutions of drug abuse among youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State?

1.5       Significance of the Study

This study is expected to be significant to several stakeholders, such as parents, community, students/researchers, and the government.

The findings of this study will help youths who are the major participants the effect or consequences which drugs abuse have on their behaviours, as well as their educational achievement.

The findings of this study will help community on how to check the continue occurrence of the incident of drugs abuse.

It will also help and be a valuable source of academic and policy material on the existing body of knowledge on the subject of drug abuse in Nigeria and its psycho-social impacts among youths as other researchers can as well build and borrow a leaf from it while carrying out similar research.

The findings of the study will also help the government and assist in strengthening the Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act as enshrined in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) as amended and its recommendations if properly implemented will go a long way in curtailing the menace of drug abuse in our society.

1.6      The Scope of the Study

The scope of this study is delimited to Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State and is on the Impact of Drug Abuse on Psycho-Social Behavior among Youths in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

1.7       Operational Definition of Terms

Antisocial Behaviors are those that defy the agreed social order, contradict by disregarding social norms and institutions. Antisocial behaviors are either willful, intentional, committed by people who consciously violate legal laws and moral norms, or by sick people with serious personality disorders.

Behavior: Set of observable reactions that an organism exhibits to stimuli in the environment.

Drug Abuse: Drug abuse is the taking of drugs or a deliberate use of drugs for purposes other than its intended purpose without the supervision of a physician or a medical practitioner. It also refers to the misuse or wrong use of drugs which have adverse effects on the central nervous system, mind, mood, behaviour and personality of the individual. Also, it is the use of any drug to the point where it interferes with an individual’s health or with his economic or social adjustment. Drug abuse also involves self-administration of drug in a manner that deviates from the approved medical and social patterns within a given culture.

Drug: The term drug is generally used in reference to any material other than food of natural or synthetic origin that invokes psychoactive properties by altering the body’s functions physically and/or psychologically. Drug also refers to a substance taken for both therapeutic and non-therapeutic purposes. Other experts have defined drug as any medical or chemical substance that when taken into the body by any means causes a change in the body. Drug alters the body functions either positively or otherwise depending on the body composition of the user, the type of drug used, the amount used and whether used singly or with other drugs at the same time.

Psychosocial Behaviour: Behaviour and mental activities of individuals and groups that influence and determine their relationships, their ability to work together, and their attitudes towards each other or behavior directed towards society, or taking place between members of the same species. Behaviors such as predation-which involves members of different species-are not social.

Social Behaviour: Conduct modeled according to the norms of the society of which the individual is a part.

Substance: Substances are any material other than food which due to their chemical nature affects the structure or functioning of the living organisms especially psychologically. Examples of substances are heroin, cocaine, inhalants, solvents, glues, tube repair solution, petrol, gasoline, spot removers, nail polish, nail polish remover (dissolver), spirit (mentholated spirit). Others are amphatemines (aji garau), syrups like benylyn, cleaning fluids, bula (robin blue), kashin kadangare, burkutu, pito, zakami, kolanut, hankufa, dankamaru, angur, gagai, etc.

Tagged with: Behaviour, Behavioural changes, Chemical modifier, Cultism, Drug Abuse, Drug use, Illicit drug, Psycho-social behaviour, Psychoactive chemicals, Psychoactive substance, Psychosocial, Psychosocial disorder, Violent Crime