Prevalence and causes of substance abuse among females in Gombe Metropolis, Gombe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Substance abuse, until recently, was believed to be a predominantly male phenomenon. Only in the last few decades, attention has shifted to female drug use and its repercussions on the females. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence and causes of substance abuse among females in Gombe Metropolis. A sample size of 385 was used for the study. This includes three hundred and seventy-five females aged 19-35 years and ten key informants drawn using multi-stage cluster and purposive sampling techniques for quantitative and qualitative data respectively. The quantitative data were collected using questionnaire, while the qualitative data were generated using in-depth interview (IDI). The quantitative data collected were analyzed using simple frequencies and percentages with the aid of Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25 software; while the qualitative data generated were analyzed using content analysis to support and compliment the quantitative data. The findings revealed that females are engaging in substance abuse including prescriptive drugs, such as benyline cough syrup, analgesics, etc., and that majority of the abusers were aware of the adverse effects of substance abuse but were continuing the same. The study revealed that the causes of substance abuse among females include peer pressure, frustration and emotional stress, curiosity about the substance, academic stress and failure in love matters. The study proffered recommendations, among others, that the police and NDLEA officials should partner with religious and community leaders to effectively stem the tide of substance abuse in the Nigerian society.

Keywords: Drug abuse, health education, curiosity, peer pressure, academic and emotional stress