Extent of Stimulant Drugs Abuse among Secondary School Students in Ebonyi State, Nigeria

Abstract

This descriptive survey was carried out in order to determine the extent of stimulant drugs abuse among secondary school students in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. A random sample of 680 students completed a corresponding copies of questionnaire designed for the study. Out of this number, 672 copies of the questionnaire, representing about 98.8% return rate, were used for data analysis. Means and standard deviations were used to describe the extent of stimulant drugs abuse among the students. T-test was used to test the only hypothesis postulated in the study. Results showed that the respondents abused most stimulant drugs to a less extent, except in kola nut ( = 2.41), bitter kola ( = 2.31) and Lipton tea ( = 2.58) in which abuse occurred to a great extent. T-test showed that significant differences existed in overall and most types of stimulant drugs inclining towards favouring the girls. The study supports the need for compulsory drug education in school to help educate the students about the dangers associated with drug abuse even at its lowest prevalence.

Keywords: Drug abuse, stimulant, students, Ebonyi State