Impact of peer group influence on the attitudes of adolescents towards drug abuse prevention in cross river state, Nigeria

The study was carried out to determine the impact of peer group influence on the attitudes of adolescents towards drug abuse prevention in Cross River State, Nigeria. Two (2) research questions/hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and relevant literature was reviewed. A survey research design was adopted which made use of a sample of one thousand and eighty Senior Secondary students from 36 sampled schools across three education zones in the state. Two (2) research instruments (a questionnaire and oral interview) were employed for data collection. Data analysis technique used Pearson Product Moment Correlation (r) Coefficient and Independent t-test statistics. All hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level. The results revealed a significant impact of peer group influence on adolescents’ attitudes towards drug abuse prevention. It was recommended among others that to foster the development of a positive attitude towards drug abuse prevention by our youths, Government/school authorities and the general public should give young adolescents the competences, values and opportunities to find superior alternatives to drug use.