Perceptions of digital and parental communication’s influence on drug abuse by selected junior public secondary school students in Abeokuta, Nigeria

Abstract

In the last few years in Ogun State, Nigeria, the spate of secondary school students’ sheer display of acts of hooliganism was alarming; a development that is presumed to be due to negative influence of drug abuse, and linked to poor communication interaction between the students and their parents on one hand, and the influence of digital media technology, on the other. Therefore, this study investigated the perception of junior students of selected public secondary schools in Abeokuta, of parents’ communication, and digital media technology’s influence on the health behaviour of the students to drug abuse. The study, which was hinged on social penetration theory, adopted a purposive sampling technique, where some public secondary schools within Abeokuta, were purposively selected as samples. Data gathered were subjected to evaluation, using Pearson Correlation Coefficient statistical test, at 95% significance level. Findings revealed that, 87.5% of the respondents (as contained in Table 8), agreed that, if the level and type of communication (drug-abuse related) between them and their parents are high, then, the bad practice of drug abuse will be reduced. The study also concluded that, there is a significant positive relationship between exposure to digital media technology and involvement in drug abuse, with the results showing a positive correlation value of 17.2%. The study, therefore, recommended among other things, that parents should establish closer communication interaction with their children, and be involved in the online interface activities of these children as much as possible, especially on health-related matters, such as drug abuse.