Drug Abuse And Mental Health Counselling Among Oke-Ogun Polytechnic Students, Oyo State, Nigeria
Rasaq Abimbola Fadipe, Yusuf Olatunji Saadu, Olufunke Joan Adefila
Keywords: Academic pressure, drug abuse, professional support, Oke-Ogun Polytechnic
Abstract
Drug abuse remains a significant mental health concern among youths and polytechnic students are particularly at risk. This study, therefore, examines the factors responsible for drug abuse among Oke-Ogun Polytechnic students in Oyo State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive survey research design was employed, and a simple random sampling technique was used to
select the respondents. A total of 440 copies of the questionnaire were
administered; however, 438 were returned and properly completed for
analysis. Data were collected using a structured instrument titled Factors
Responsible for Drug Abuse Questionnaire (FRDAQ). Content validity was established by five lecturers from the Department of Mass Communication, The Polytechnic Ibadan, while reliability was determined using the test–retest method, yielding a coefficient of 0.83. Data were analyzed using mean
scores and standard deviation to answer the research questions, while the t-test and One-Way ANOVA were used to test the two null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Results revealed that major contributors to drug abuse among students included poor academic performance, examination anxiety and low self-esteem, with significant differences observed based on gender and age. The study concludes that drug abuse among polytechnic students is largely driven by academic and psychological pressures, which negatively affect their academic performance and overall well-being. The study recommends that students experiencing academic and emotional challenges should seek professional support through counselling services, school clinics, and appropriate support groups rather than resorting to drug use as a coping mechanism. School management should also train lecturers, level advisors, faculty members and non-academic staff to identify and respond to students struggling with drug abuse.
Author Biography
Rasaq Abimbola Fadipe, Yusuf Olatunji Saadu, Olufunke Joan Adefila
Department of Educational Guidance and Counselling, Faculty of Education, University of Ilorin, Nigeria
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]
Email: [email protected]