CAUSES OF DRUG ABUSE AMONG POLYTECHNIC STUDENTS AS EXPRESSED BY SCHOOL COUNSELLORS IN OKE-OGUN AREA, OYO STATE

Abstract

Drug abuse is one of the health related problems generally among youths and polytechnic students are perceived to be particularly at greater risk of this problem. In the light of this, the study thus investigated the causes of drug abuse among polytechnic students as expressed by school counsellors in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State. This study also examined the influence of moderating variables of age and gender on respondents’ views on causes of drug abuse. Descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of certified counsellors was 458 and purposive sampling techniques were employed to select the respondents. One hundred and fifty school counsellors participated in the study and the selection was based on their work experience. The samples were administered with selfdeveloped instrument namely: “Questionnaire on Causes of Drug Abuse (CDAQ)”. The findings of the study revealed that the significant causes of drug abuse among polytechnic students were ignorance about dangers inherent in drug abuse, lack of parental supervision and emulation of bad role models. It was also revealed that there was no significant difference on the causes of drug abuse among polytechnic students as expressed by school counsellors in Oke-Ogun area of Oyo State on the basis of gender and age. Based on the findings of this study, it was recommended that school guidance counsellors are needed in all tertiary institutions of learning most especially polytechnics in Oke-Ogun in order to help educate students on the dangers inherent in drugs, the possible influence of peers to drug abuse and equip them with appropriate social skills they can employ and activities they can engage-in to navigate peer pressure.