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నైరూప్య

Changing Trend of Psychoactive Drug Abuse among Adolescent Students in South Eastern Nigeria

Nwala Gabriel

Background: Recent report suggests a new trend of psychoactive substance abuse among the youths. Cocktail of candies and beverages, methylated spirit and soda, Tramadol, “Lacatomtom”, “Msquared”, “Skoochies”, “Omi Gutter”, “Ginko”, and other lethal cocktail of beverages, drugs and candies, food additives and soft drinks are gradually taking over from earlier documented substances of abuse. These materials appear harmless but on a closer evaluation of their abusers, varying degrees of poor school functioning (school absenteeism, poor academic performance, and even outright dropout), deteriorating physical health and increase rate of psychopathology will be observed.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report of 2014 estimated that 12% of the world’s population used one or more drugs in the preceding year and this accounts for 39 million people greater than the previous year. Despite concerted efforts at reducing this worrisome trend, newer and difficult to detect substances of abuse are now been abused/. Materials seen before now as safe have become key instruments used by adolescents in lethal combinations to feel high.

These materials are difficult to detect as available test kits are unable to pick them. Relying on self-reported account of substance abusers may under-estimate the prevalence of substance abuse among this group of individuals. This study was aimed at describing the trend of psychoactive drug abuse in the south-eastern part of Nigeria, to enable policy makers tailor preventive efforts at curbing the worrisome trend of adolescent substance abuse appropriately. This would ensure an effective reduction of adolescent substance abuse in the region and the country at large.

Objective: To determine the pattern of psychoactive substance abuse among adolescent students in Umuahia.

Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study of 400 adolescent school students in urban and rural communities in Umuahia. Substance abuse status was established by self-report (using a modified WHO student drug use questionnaire) and urine toxicology screen (using Icup 6 test kits). Data obtained were analyzed using SPSS Version 20. These data were presented in prose, tables, and figures. P values ≤0.05were accepted as significant.

Results: Out of 400 participants, a total of 209 (52.3%) were boys and 191 (47.8%) respondents were girls. Only participants who completed their questionnaires were encouraged to submit their UDT.

The study revealed that the life time prevalence of psychoactive substance abuse was 91.3%, current prevalence 56.8% and UDT obtained rate was 38.5%.

Coffee was the most abused by self-report with a current rate of 32.0%, followed by kolanut and cannabis at 18.8% each and cocaine being the least at 0.8%.

Oxycodone was the most abused by UDT at 24.8%, followed by cannabis at 19.3%, Tramadol at 6.3% and cocaine at 1.5%.Cannabis was the most combined drug and 31.2% of abusers, abused multiple substances.

Pattern of abuse by current self-report revealed that coffee, kolanut, cannabis, Lacatomtom, Tramadol, Alcohol, Tobacco and cocaine were most abused while UDT showed Oxycodone, cannabis, methamphetamine, opioid and cocaine were most abused.

Coffee, kolanut and cannabis were most self-reportedly abused substance among rural students while oxycodone and methamphetamine were the most abused drugs among this group of students.

Conclusion: The study revealed that the prevalence of self-reported lifetime and current abuse of psychoactive substances were 91.3% and 56.8% respectively with coffee as the most currently abused and UDT obtained prevalence of 38.5% with oxycodone as most obtained. The pattern of abuse of psychoactive substances is gradually changing from previously known and detectable substances to cheaper and other difficult to detect cocktail of psychoactive materials.

Recommendation: Policy makers need to urgently incorporate drug preventive measures and random urine drug screening programs in the school curriculum to reduce drug demand by our adolescents in school.