Effect of Socio-Economic Status on the Prevalence of Drug Use/Abuse among Undergraduate Students of Federal University Gashua, Yobe State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the effect of socio-economic status on the prevalence rate of drug use/abuse among
undergraduate students of Federal University Gashua. Participants were 50 males and 50 females, with a mean age
of 25.8 years (S.D = 4.2). The Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST) was used to identify individuals who were abusing
psychoactive drugs. In contrast, the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Scale was used to assess for substance use
problems among participants, and the socioeconomic scale was used to determine the socio-economic status of
participants. Results indicated that 42% of participants had used alcohol, 8.3% marijuana, 0.8% amphetamines, 0.8%
heroine, 4.2% inhalants, 2.5% ecstasy, 2.5% sedatives, 3.3% tranquillizers; these represent 64.9% of University
students that had used drugs; and there was no significant influence of socio-economic status on drugs use prevalence,
those in low socio-economic status mean 5.19 (SD 4.99) and high socio-economic status mean 4.69 (SD 5.22), F (1,
118) = .261, p = .610; There is need for broad-based interventions that give equal weight to supply and demand
reduction in alcohol; young people as well as their associates should be targeted and ensure that community agencies
and young people are mobilize towards preventive action. The findings of this study will contribute to knowledge as
it will enhance understanding of the socio-economic factors responsible for drug use prevalence among
undergraduate students. In addition, it provides relevant data on drug abuse and socioeconomic status, which will
serve as a source of reference for other researchers; these data could also be used as an instrument for designing
preventive activities for drug abuse for drug users by relevant agencies