ASSESSMENT OF PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCE USE ITS MAINTAINING FACTORS

ASSESSMENT OF PSYCHOACTIVE SUBSTANCE USE, ITS MAINTAINING FACTORS AND EFFECTIVENESS OF MOTIVATIONAL INTERVENTION IN STOPPING USE AMONG SELECTED ADOLESCENTS IN LAGOS, NIGERIA

2. Research Aims and Objectives • To ascertain the proportion of the selected adolescents using psychoactive substances. • To identify the psychoactive substances they use. • To find out the factors that maintain psychoactive substance use amongst those using them. • To determine the effectiveness of motivational intervention in stopping psychoactive substance use among the selected adolescents

Identification/ Defining Research Problems: • Adventurous/curious nature of human beings particularly at adolescence lead to escapades • Urge to seek new things and explore new grounds • Sustained use of psychoactive substances will likely interfere with the demands and roles of adolescence which creates problems in negotiating transition from early adolescence to late adolescence to young adulthood • Psychological and Social compromise of adolescents • The implication is that various governments all over the world have tried to ban the use and sale of the substances to no avail

Thesis Statement/Hypothesis • What is the proportion of the selected adolescents using psychoactive substances? • What are the types of psychoactive substances being used? • What are the psychological and social factors maintaining adolescent’s psychoactive substance use? • How effective is motivational intervention in dissuading psychoactive substance use among adolescents?

Review of Literature • Theoretically, several works had been done to explain the nature, course and maintenance of psychoactive substance use. • Psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud (1894, 1896) postulated that adult personality is determined by childhood experiences. • Psychological development in childhood takes place in a series of fixed stages called psychosexual stages.

cont’d • Learning Theorists believe that cognitive, emotional, environmental influences and prior experience play major and vital roles in understanding and retaining knowledge. Skinner, Pavlov etc • Psychosocial Theorist, Erikson (1950, 1963) proposed the Psychosocial Theory of Personality Development made up of 8 stages from infancy to maturity. • New challenges are confronted at every stage and the next stage builds upon the successful completion of earlier stages. • Self-Esteem Theorists postulated that all behaviour is mediated by the individual’s attempt to protect the ‘Self’ within the social millieu.

Cont’d • Several Empirical studies had been done on psychoactive substance use in Nigeria, but none has looked at maintaining factors cum Intervention parri pasu.

Methodology • Setting ( five schools) within Lagos Metropolis • Sample – Target population are students in Senior Secondary Schools whose ages fall within the range of 12 and 18 years. 300 participants per school, totalling 1, 500. • 6 well trained Research Assistants employed to carry out this assignment. • Assessment Instruments – Index of Family Relations, Self-Esteem Scale, Index of Peer Relations, Biographic Information Questionnaire, Psychopathic Deviate Scale, Multi-Drug Screening Kits and Drug Use Screening Inventory-Revised.

Research Design • • 2 Stages : i. Assessment Stage ii. Intervention Stage Pre-test and Post-test Design will be employed

Procedure • Research Assistants trained on the administration of the Study Instruments. • Consents of both the School Authorities and Parents will be sought. • Identifying those with psychoactive substance use problems based on their scores on DUSI-R. • 60 of them will be selected and randomly assigned to 3 groups of 20 participants each. One of the groups will be subjected to 12 sessions of motivational intervention, the other group will be subjected to few sessions of psychoeducation while the last group will act as control with only the result of the assessment disclosed to them.

Cont’d • All the groups will be assembled at the end of the 12 th session of the motivational intervention and posttest assessment done using the same set of psychological instruments.

Data Collation/Result • The data will be collected and subjected to statistical analysis using descriptive and inferential statistics such as Means, Standard Deviation, ANCOVA, and Pearson correlation. • It will be expected that low self-esteem, poor peer and family relationships, and delinquency could maintain psychoactive substance use. Motivational intervention is also expected to significantly dissuade psychoactive substance use.

References • Abasiobong, F. Atting, I. , Bassey, E. , & Ekott, J. , (2008). A Comparative Study of Use of Psychoactive Substances Among Secondary School Students In Two Local Government Areas of Akwa Ibom State of Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice, 11(1), 45 -51. • Eneh, A. U. & Stanley, P. C. , (2004). Patterns of Substance Abuse Among Secondary School Students in Rivers State, Nigeria. Journal of Medicine, 13: 36 -39.

Cont’d • George, N. A. (2014). Prevalence of Substance Abuse Among Senior Secondary Study in Mainland Local Government Lagos. Global Journal of Medicine. 3 (6), 1 -9. • Gureje, O. , Degenherdt, L. , et al. (2007). A Descriptive Epidemiology of Substance Use and Substance Use Disorders in Nigeria, during the Early 21 st Century. Drug & Alcohol Dependence. 91(1), 1 -9.

cont’d • Igwe, W. C. et al (2009). Socio-Demographic Correlates of Psychoactive Substance Abuse Among Secondary School Students in Enugu, Nigeria. European Journal of Social Sciences 12(2), 277 -283. • Mahfuz, M. H. (2015). Prevalence and Patterns of Psychoactive Substance Use Among Senior Secondary School Students in Dala Local Government Area of Kano State, Nigeria. Unpublished MSc. Dissertation submitted to the Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Nigeria, Enugu Campus.