Childhood trauma, peer pressure, parenting styles and gender on adolescent substance abuse in Ibadan: a structural equation modelling approach

The effective intervention strategies depend on the correlations and structural pathways linking these factors to adolescent substance abuse. The correlations and structural pathways linking childhood trauma, peer pressure, parenting styles, and gender to substance abuse among adolescents form the basis of this study. The study employed a survey research technique. A total of 242 secondary school students in Ibadan, Oyo State Nigeria were chosen through a multistage sampling technique. The questionnaire was the instrument, adopted for data collection, while the collected data were analysed using a correlational design and the Structural Equation Modelling approach. The study adheres to ethical consideration. Among the variables of interest, childhood trauma (r = .593, p < .01) and peer pressure (r = .548, p < .01) showed positive correlations with substance abuse, whereas parenting styles had a negative correlation (r = -.472, p < .01). Accordingly, the SEM results indicated that childhood trauma significantly contributed to peer pressure at β = 0.52, p < .001, and substance abuse at β = 0.42, p <.001, partially through the mediation of peer pressure. The model indices also proved good adequacy: χ²/df = 2.34, CFI = 0.96, and RMSEA = 0.048. Childhood trauma and peer pressure increases the likelihood of substance abuse, however, supportive parenting reduces the risks. Gender differences in current adolescent substance use call for different interventions.