Pattern and correlates of psychoactive substance use among new prison inmates in Nigeria

Abstract

Psychoactive substance disorders among prison inmates are challenges to the prison authority, and this may interfere with the processes of reformation and rehabilitation therein. The study assessed the prevalence, pattern, and correlates of psychoactive substance use in a cross-sectional study involving 552 new inmates in a custodial center in Enugu, Nigeria. Diagnoses were made using the MINI-Plus (version 6) in line with the ICD 10. Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of psychoactive substance disorder were 57.4% and 50.7%, respectively. The commonest substance disorders were tobacco (48.2% lifetime and 41.1% 12-month), cannabis (36.8% lifetime, and 32.4% 12-month), and alcohol (7.2% lifetime, and 6.9% 12-month). Descriptive statistics, Mann-Whitney U test, Chi-squared test, and regression analyses were performed to assess the extent to which socio-demographic characteristics, type of offence, and family dysfunction predicted psychoactive substance use or disorder. Four hundred and seventy eight (86.6%) of participants had used psychoactive substance in their lifetime, while it was 405 (73.4%) in the last 12 months prior to imprisonment. Lifetime and 12-month rates of psychoactive substance disorder were 57.4% (n=317) and 50.7% (n=280), respectively. Male gender, unemployment, parental divorce, and parental drug use respectively, significantly predicted 12-month psychoactive substance disorder [β = 0.12, 95% (CI: 0.04, 0.39)], [β = 1.79, 95% (CI: 1.24, 2.60)], [β = 0.29, 95% (CI: 0.14, 0.59)], and [β = 0.56, 95% (CI: 0.39, 0.81)]. Lifetime disorder was significantly predicted by male gender [β = 0.12, 95% (CI: 0.04, 0.35)], unemployment [β = 1.60, 95% (CI: 1.10, 2.32)], parental divorce [β = 0.23, 95% (CI: 0.10, 0.52)], and parental drug use [β = 0.49, 95% (CI: 0.34, 0.72)]. Similarly, lifetime psychoactive substance disorder was associated with older age (U = 33355, Z = -2.104, p = 0.035), while the prevalence of 12-month use of psychoactive substance was significantly associated with charges of violent offences (χ²
=13.55, p˂0.01). Conclusively, there is a high prevalence of psychoactive substance use and disorders among new prison inmates with  tobacco, cannabis and alcohol as the commonest. Given that male gender, unemployment, parental divorce and parental drug use  increase the likelihood of these disorders, it will be worthwhile for any drug intervention program to address these factors.

Keywords: Psychoactive substances; drug; inmates; crime; Nigeria.