Parental Involvement, Peer Pressure and Drug Abuse among Public Secondary School Adolescents in Ilorin West, Kwara State
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Date
2025-12
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Lead City University, Ibadan
Abstract
This study examined the relationship between parental involvement, peer pressure, and drug abuse among public secondary school adolescents in Ilorin West, Kwara State. A descriptive survey design was adopted to investigate these factors, considering that drug abuse remained an escalating public health concern, with 33.7% of students in Nigeria's central region reporting psychoactive drug use. The study was grounded in Social Learning Theory, Family Systems Theory, Social Control Theory, and Ecological Systems Theory. The population comprised 16,200 senior secondary students in Ilorin West, from which 573 students (SS1– SS3) with a mean age of 16.5 years were selected through purposive and stratified random sampling. Data were collected using the Adolescent Drug Abuse Influencing Factors Questionnaire (ADAIFQ) and thematic interviews with school personnel. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, multiple regression analysis, and Pearson correlation through SPSS version 26, while qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. Findings revealed low drug abuse prevalence requiring rehabilitation (1.9%), though high knowledge of locally abused drugs existed (32.1% and 28.1% agreeing/strongly agreeing). Parental involvement emerged as a significant protective factor, with 88.0% of students reporting high parental supervision. However, emotional support (81.2%) and open communication (79.9%) were relatively weaker. Approximately 20-25% of students
experienced peer pressure to consume drugs, with 24.1% struggling to refuse substances offered by peers. Multiple regression analysis revealed that parental involvement and peer pressure jointly explained 39% of variance in adolescent drug abuse (R² = 0.404, Adjusted R² = 0.390, F=57.4, p<0.05). Social media influence significantly predicted drug use (p = 0.021), accounting for 72% of variance among exposed students. The study concluded that adolescent drug abuse was influenced by family functioning, peer pressure, individual characteristics, and digital environments. Comprehensive prevention strategies targeting family relationships, resilience skills, peer resistance, and digital literacy were recommended.
Keywords: Parental involvement, peer pressure, drug abuse, adolescents, secondary school students
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Keywords
Parental involvement, peer pressure, drug abuse, adolescents, secondary school students
Citation
kate Turabian