Prevalence and Determinants of Substance use among Students attending Tertiary Institutions in Rivers State, Nigeria

BACKGROUND: In order to deal with the social and psychological difficulties that they may encounter during the transition from adolescence to adulthood and the pressure that accompanies acquiring tertiary education, many young people indulge in substance use to cope. Substance use is known to have negative consequences on the social and mental well-being of users, particularly young persons. This study aimed at determining the prevalence and determinants of substance use among students in tertiary institutions in Rivers State, Nigeria. METHODS: The study was a descriptive cross-sectional study among 873 students. The questionnaire used was TAPS 1 (Tobacco, alcohol, prescription medication and other substances) tool. It was a semi-structured interviewer administered questionnaire. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. Univariate and Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to identify the determinants of substance use at a p-value of < 0.05. RESULTS: The result showed that 15% of the students had a life time exposure to illegal substances. The determinants of substance use were being a student of a University (AOR=3.2, CI=1.6-6.2), being a male (AOR=12.7, CI=7.2-22.2), paternal education level of secondary or below (AOR=2.1, CI;3-3.5). maternal education level of secondary or below (AOR=2.1, CI;3-3.5) and being from a monogamous family (AOR=1.3 CI;1.9-8.3). CONCLUSION: A large number of students still indulge in substance use. More efforts are needed to limit the circulation of these substances among students in tertiary institutions.