Substance abuse as a predictor of learning behaviours among school adolescents in ojo local government area, lagos state, nigeria

Perceived effects of substance abuse and substance abuse represents an important behavioural factor associated with students’ engagement in learning activities. This study examined the pattern of substance abuse among school adolescents, assessed their level of learning behaviours, and determined the perceived effects of substance abuse on their learning behaviours. A cross-sectional correlational research design was adopted. The population comprised school adolescents enrolled in public secondary schools in Ojo Local Government Area, while a sample of 300 adolescents was selected through a multistage sampling procedure involving purposive, stratified and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using the Substance Abuse and Learning Behaviour Questionnaire (SALBQ). Descriptive statistics comprising frequency counts, percentages, means and standard deviations were used to answer the research questions, while Pearson Product-Moment Correlation and simple linear regression were employed to test the hypothesis at the 0.05 level of significance. Findings showed the presence of substance abuse among the respondents, with peer-related substance use, alcohol use, non-medical use of prescription drugs and cough mixtures featuring among reported patterns. Learning behaviours were moderate, while substance abuse was associated with concentration difficulties, distraction, poor study habits and reduced academic interest. The hypothesis showed a statistically significant negative relationship between substance abuse and learning behaviour. The study concluded that substance abuse represents an important behavioural factor associated with learning behaviour among school adolescents. The study recommended strengthened school-based substance-abuse prevention, counselling, peer education, parental involvement and early identification and referral of adolescents requiring professional support.