African Journal of Alcohol and Drug Abuse

Psychosocial implications of substance use disorders among patients attending a psychiatric facility in Lagos

Alalade Oluwasikemi, Alalade Obatomi, Opabola Oluwasemire, Adekunle Salaudeen — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Substance use disorders have become a major family and public health problem because of the associated socio-economic burden to the public in terms of rising health care costs, loss of productivity, reduced family income and other disabilities. The study aimed to assess the psychosocial implications of substance use disorder in patients attending a psychiatric facility in Lagos. The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study amongst 420 participants aged 18-64 years. A structured self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the socio-demographic characteristics and psychosocial problems in the study participants. The mean age of study participants was 27.69± 8.575. There were more participants who were within the ages of 18-25 years and there were more males. Additionally, 57.2% had secondary level of education, 60% were unemployed and 58.8% had no monthly income. Most common age at first use of substance was less than 18 years. The most common psychoactive substances used by study participants were alcohol, cannabis and tobacco. Interpersonal relationship problems were reported in 50.2% of study participants, job problems in 56.0%, and economic problems in 87.4%. Psychiatric diagnosis was reported by 33.3% of the participants and medical diagnosis in 34% of participants. Sociodemographic characteristics significantly associated with relationship problems were age (p=0.004), occupation (p=0.021), tribe (0.040), religion (p=0.028), and monthly income (p=0.022). Socio-demographic characteristics significantly associated with job problems were educational level (p=0.022), occupation (p=0.037), age at first use (p=0.002). Socio-demographic characteristics significantly associated with economic problems were monthly income (p=0.001), age at first use (p=0.024). The study concluded that there is a high prevalence of psychosocial problems from persons with substance use disorder and curbing the menace of substance abuse requires a collaborative effort from families, religious organizations, media, secondary and tertiary institution authorities, health educators, community and the government.

Exploring where to concentrate smoking cessation efforts in Nigeria through the mirror of self-reported smoking

Oluwaseun Addie, PhD — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Smoking is the largest cause of preventable health problems and premature death worldwide, and about 80% of the world’s 1.3 billion tobacco users live in low- and middle-income countries. Tobacco smoking prevalence in Nigeria was 10.4% and it is estimated that there are about 20 million active smokers in the country. This study investigated the spatial pattern of selfreported smoking in order to determine potential targets for smoking cessation campaigns in Nigeria, utilizing a nationally representative dataset. This was a crosssectional study aimed at investigating the spatial pattern of self-reported smoking as a means of determining where smoking cessation campaigns should be targeted in Nigeria, using spatial analysis and descriptive statistics to examine data from the first round of the Nigeria-National Survey on Drug Use and Health. The results indicated that over 80% of selfreported smokers were male, and young people aged 20-39 were majority (53.8%). Crop farming (24.7%) was the dominant profession. Benue (10.0%), Bauchi (6.3%), and Edo (5.5%) States had the highest number of smokers, and Ekiti (1.6%), Kano (1.3%), and Jigawa (0.7%) States had the least numbers. Self-reported smokers in the country tended towards clustering (Moran I=.126), and whereas Benue State was the hot-spot of smokers in the country, Katsina, Kano, and Kaduna States formed the cold spot. This study identified the age range, the predominantoccupation, and the location of most smokers in the country, making possible focused smoking cessation interventions. However, a one-size-fits-all smoking cessation policy might not work in the country given the heterogeneous
distribution of smokers.

Assessment of the significance of statistical referencing in global substance use research

Faith M. Ajodo, Andrew E. Zamani, Emmanuel O. Alhassan — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

This paper reviews the significance of statistical referencing within global substance use research. The researcher adopted a literature search method collecting data from academic search databases such as PubMed and Scopus. These papers reviewed, acknowledge that statistical reference serves not just as a cornerstone for robust global substance use research but also facilitates researchers to truly cite and document their sources for the epidemiological data that inform their analyses and findings. This paper significantly identifies the rigorous statistical referencing framework: not only enhancing credibility but also increasing the research replication and cross comparison of studies across time and space. By these guidelines, statistical referencing would assure that the work was attributed to add to the larger amount of knowledge base that exists within the field of substance use epidemiology and happen to get further knowledge into the field. The adoption of statistical-reference consistency permits the synthesis of contributions from many sources to paint a picture of global trends and dominant patterns in substance use studies. This paper recommends careful selection of reference groups, addresses possible biases, clear reporting, and conducting power analysis for robust and reliable research in substance use studies. Thus, concluded that statistical referencing empowers substance use research with the capability of data analysis, evaluation of
treatment, and identification of contributing factors toward proper design interventions and policy formulation.

Substance use among adolescents in sub-saharan Africa: A narrative review of epidemiological data

Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

The adolescent population in sub-Saharan Africa is projected to grow significantly, presenting both opportunities and challenges. Increasing rates of substance use among youth pose a significant public health concern, potentially exacerbating morbidity, mortality, and risky behaviors. While previous studies have examined substance use in sub-Saharan Africa, they often focused on individual countries or combined data across regions, overlooking shared sociocultural contexts within subregions. This narrative review analyzed epidemiological data from 60 studies conducted between 2014 and 2024, examining substance use patterns among adolescents under 20 years across subSaharan Africa’s four sub-regions. The review incorporated academic literature, intergovernmental reports, and local partners’ insights, covering 29 countries through 19 Demographic and Health Surveys, 17 Global Youth Tobacco Surveys, seven Global School-based Student Health Surveys, and 16 cross-sectional studies. Findings reveal substantial sub regional variations in substance use patterns, with the highest rates documented in Southern Africa (up to 44.6% for any substance use) and Western Africa (31.2-32.9%). Eastern Africa demonstrated varied patterns, with alcohol use reaching 50.2% in some countries. Central Africa, while showing more consistent patterns, had limited data primarily focused on tobacco use (ranging from 9.2% to 14.1%). Gender disparities were evident across all sub-regions, with males consistently showing higher usage rates than females. The review identified critical gaps in comprehensive substance use data, particularly in Central Africa, and notable disparities between national and regional studies’ findings. This sub-regional approach, which acknowledges shared sociocultural contexts among neighboring countries, provides more nuanced insights than previous country-specific studies. These findings highlight the need for culturally grounded, evidence-based prevention programs tailored to specific contexts, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts with local partners in developing targeted prevention strategies that address the unique challenges faced by adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa.

Psychopathologies and parental factors as predictors of substance abuse among in-school adolescents in Akungba- Akoko, Nigeria

Ebenezer. O Akinnawo, Dolapo T. Jayeola , Anthony G Balogun, Emmanuel E. Uye — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Substance abuse causes social problems to the individual, the family and the larger society if unresolved. Studies have investigated several predictors of substance abuse such as personality traits, selfesteem, parenting styles with varied results. However, studies linking psychopathologies and parental factors to substance abuse are scarce. Therefore, this study investigated psychopathologies of depression, anxiety and stress and parental factors of family system and family system as predictors of substance abuse among in-school adolescents in Akungba-Akoko in Ondo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design while simple random sampling technique was used to select six secondary schools in Akungba-Akoko metropolis. Data were collected from 234 participants using Drug Use Scale (DAST-20) and Depression Anxiety and Stress (DASS-21) scale and analyzed using multiple regression statistics. One hypothesis was tested and accepted at p =.001 level of significance. The result revealed that psychopathologies of depression, anxiety, stress, and parental factors of family types and family systems jointly predicted substance abuse among in-school adolescents [R2= .27, F(5, 217) =10.54, p = .001]. However, depression (β =0.31, p >.05), stress (β = 0.26, p >.05), anxiety (β = -0.09, p >.05), family types (β = 0.33, p >.05), and family systems (β = 0.07, p >.05) did not independently predict substance abuse among in-school adolescents. The study concluded that psychopathologies and parental factors jointly predicted substance abuse while these factors did not independently predict substance abuse among in-school adolescents. It is recommended that parents, school authority and government agencies should work in synergy to educate and implement programmes that would reduce the tendency of in-school adolescents going into substance abuse.

Effects of happiness and burnout on alcohol and drug abuse among officers of the police force in Ibadan, Nigeria

Olubusuyi Fasanu Opeyemi , Oyeyemi Oderinde Kehinde , Omolayo Odunfa Opeyemi — Wed, 01 Jan 2025 00:00:00 +0000

Drug abuse as well as its correlates is less researched among law enforcement officers in Nigeria than the general populations. This study examines the prevalence and impact of happiness (authentic and fluctuating) and burnout as psychological predictors of alcohol and drug abuse among officers of the Nigeria Police Force. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 297 Nigerian police officers in Ibadan, Nigeria, with a structured survey tool comprising Authentic Happiness Scale, Burnout Assessment Tool, Drug Use Disorder Identification Test, and Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test. The results revealed burnout significantly predicted higher levels of alcohol use, β = 0.331, t = 6.350, p < 0.01. Authentic happiness predicted less of alcohol use, β = -0.103, t = 2.073, p < 0.05. Fluctuating happiness predicted higher levels of alcohol use, β = 0.329, t = 6.474, p < 0.01. Additionally, burnout significantly predicted increase in the use of psychoactive drugs, β = 0.339, t = 6.260, p < 0.01. Whereas fluctuating happiness significantly predicted higher levels of drug use, β = 0.276, t = 5.235, p < 0.01, authentic happiness did not significantly predict drug use in this study, β = -0.065, t = 1.256, p > 0.05. The study concluded that low levels of authentic happiness, highlevelsof fluctuating happiness, and burnout are significant risk factors of substance abuse among Nigerian police officers. The need for targeted interventions to address these psychological factors and improve the overall well-being of police officers is recommended.