SOCIAL FACTORS AND DRUG ADDICTION AMONG UNIVERSITY STUDENTS IN AKWA IBOM STATE
Abstract
The study examined social factors and drug addiction among university students in Akwa Ibom State. Three objectives were formulated to guide the study. Three research questions were raised and three hypotheses were formulated in line with the objectives. The correlation research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study consisted of all the 33942 undergraduate students from Akwa Ibom State University and University of Uyo of the 2023/2024 academic session. A sample size of 400 students was selected for the study using multi-stage sampling technique. The sample for the study consisted of 400 year three students selected from the two universities. Multi-stage sampling technique was used for the selection of the students. A researcher-developed instrument tagged “Social Factors and Drug Addiction among University Students Questionnaire (SFDAUSQ)” was used for data collection. Face validity was established for the instrument. A reliability coefficient of 0.83 was obtained for the instrument, using Cronbach Alpha. Values of R and R2 of Simple linear regression analysis were used to answer the research questions while the F-value was used to test the hypotheses. Each of the hypotheses was tested at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study showed that peer group significantly predicts drug addiction among university students in Akwa Ibom State; social media significantly predict drug addiction among university students in Akwa Ibom State; and moral belief significantly predicts drug addiction among university students in Akwa Ibom State. Based on the findings of the study, it was concluded that social factors predict drug addiction among university students in Akwa Ibom State. It was recommended among others that, mental health professionals should offer counseling services that focus on building resilience against peer pressure and provide strategies for students to develop a positive self-identity that is not reliant on harmful group behaviours.
