ATTITUDE AND KNOWLEDGE OF DRUG-ABUSE AMONG SECONDARY-SCHOOL STUDENTS IN IKA SOUTH AREA OF DELTA STATE

*Ijeh, M.A., Enweani, B.I., Agbapuonwu, N.E. and Eyeghre, O.A.

ABSTRACT

Drug abuse has shown to have a rapid usage and growth among youth, and is observed to take place in schools. The research was carried out to determine the knowledge and attitude of substance abuse among students attending secondary schools in Ika south, Local Government, Area, Delta State, Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study was employed among students in selected secondary schools within the study location. A total of 5383 was employed in the study and a sample size of 2153 was generated using multistage and proportionate random sampling technique. A structured questionnaire was employed in the study, and a reliability of 0.87 was done using test-retest and Pearson Product Moment. Data obtained was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics and values were presented as mean, standard deviation, percentages, and frequencies. The results obtained showed higher percentages of females than males, urban schools were more than rural, day schools were higher than boarding schools. The revealed that a mean of 3.27 depicts that secondary school students have knowledge of drug abuse. Also, the study documented a mean of 2.30, which implies a negative attitude towards drug abuse. However, a significant association existed between the location of the schools and knowledge; and no significant association was indicated between school settings and attitude. The study concludes that the secondary school students in Ika south LGA, have knowledge of drug abuse and demonstrated a negative attitude towards drug abuse.

Keywords: drug abuse, knowledge, attitude, substance abuse, secondary school, students.