Push Factors and Attitudes to Substance Abuse among Students of a Government Senior Secondary School in Kano State

Abstract

Psychoactive substance use continues to be a major risk behavior among youths. It is on the increase and associated with physical and or mental health consequences. This study assessed the push factors towards psychoactive substances among students of Tarauni Government Senior Secondary School, Kano state. This cross sectional descriptive study employed the systematic sampling technique to select 247 participants from data was obtained, using a self-administered questionnaire. The data obtained were analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. The results revealed that, the main push factors for taking psychoactive substances are to feel relaxed or to sleep (68.1%, n=160), relieve stress (57.0%, n=134) and anxiety (54.0%, n=127), enhance alertness (48.5%, n=114), keep calm (52.0%, n=112), blend with peers (49.8%, n=117), gain more power (51.5%, n=121) and socialize (45.1%, n=106). It was therefore recommended that health education and sensitization programme on the effect of substance use for students and families via school curriculum, health and religious worship centers should be put in place

Key words: Attitude, Perception, Psychoactive substances, Push factors