ABSTRACT
This study investigated the Perceived Causes, Effects, and Prevention of Drug Abuse Among Secondary School Students in Egor Local Government Area of Edo State, four research questions were raised to guide the study. The study aimed to identify the factors contributing to drug abuse, examine its effects on students' academic performance, physical health, and mental well-being, and explore preventive measures to mitigate the problem
A descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of this study comprised of 500 SSS II students from 6 secondary schools in Egor LGA of Edo State. The sample size for the study was 30 percent of the entire population of the 500 students senior secondary class two (SSS II) selected randomly using proportional allocation method with a total of one hundred and fifty (150) students. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire of 15 items, which was titled “Perceived Causes, Effects and Prevention of Drug Abuse among Secondary School Students in Egor”. The instrument was validated by the researcher’s supervisor and two experts in the Department of Health, Safety and Environmental Education, Faculty of Education. To determine the reliability of the instrument, the test-retest procedure was adopted. In this vein, 20 copies of the instrument were administered to the respondents who were not part of the target population. Thereafter, their responses on the two occasions was collated and correlated to determine its correlation coefficient using Pearson product movement correlation statistics the instruments yielded a coefficient value of 0.72.The data analysis was carried out as follows; all research questions were analyzed using mean scores and standard deviation. A mean value of 2.50 and above being the criterion level/ benchmark was interpreted as ‘agree’ while mean scores below 2.50 was interpreted as ‘disagree.
Based on the findings, it is concluded that drug abuse among secondary school students is predominantly driven by peer pressure and curiosity, with academic stress being an additional contributing factor. The negative effects of drug abuse are multifaceted, severely impacting students’ academic performance, physical health, and mental well-being. Prevention strategies that focus on education, parental involvement, and strict school policies are essential in mitigating drug abuse. Despite this, community outreach programs were not found to be particularly effective in addressing the issue. It was therefore recommended that; Schools should strengthen drug education programs that focus on peer pressure, curiosity, and academic stress, ensuring students are well-informed about the consequences of drug abuse. Parents should be more actively involved in their children’s social and academic lives, providing support and guidance to reduce the risk of drug use. Schools should enforce stricter policies on drug access and introduce support systems to help students cope with academic stress, creating a safer and more supportive school environment.
