Prevalence and Psychosocial Factors Influencing Substance Use Among Students of Abia State Polytechnic: Implication for Policy Makers

The issue of drug use has escalated into a critical global concern, demanding immediate attention from researchers, policymakers, and stakeholders. The widespread misuse of drugs among students is becoming increasingly problematic and a health concern in many countries, including Nigeria. This study's objective is to assess the prevalence and psychosocial factors responsible for substance use among undergraduate students of Abia State Polytechnic. The findings of this study have significant implications for the broader public health and education systems, as they highlight the urgent need for intervention programs to address the high prevalence of drug use among students. Method: The study adopted a snowball sampling design to recruit four hundred and seventy-two (472) students from the five (5) schools that comprise all the Abia State Polytechnic Departments. A study-developed questionnaire called Substance Use and Psychosocial Factors Checklist (SUPSF) was adopted from DUDIT and AUDIT and validated. Three hypotheses were advanced, and data was analyzed via IBM SPSS-23. Results: Descriptive results showed a high prevalence of psychoactive substance use among undergraduate students, with the highest substance being Marijuana, with a prevalence of 71.61%. Multi-linear regression revealed that psychosocial factors significantly predicted the criterion variable ( β = -.66; t = -19.02; p <0.05). Also, among the demographic variables, age was the best predictor of psychoactive substance use, with 17.1% out of the 19.6% combined variance, F (1,471) = 97.03, p <0.05. Conclusion: In line with the findings, we concluded that the school's management should, as a matter of urgency, introduce drug test programs. These programs can help identify students at risk of substance use early, allowing for timely intervention. We stress the need for the establishment of a functional counseling unit and course advisers to address possible psychosocial factors that may pressure a student into using psychoactive substances. The need for these intervention programs is crucial, and their successful implementation could significantly reduce the high prevalence of drug use among students, offering hope for a healthier future.