DRUG ABUSE AND SCHOOL DROPOUT AMONG ADOLESCENTS IN MINING COMMUNITIES OF JOS SOUTH LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

Drug abuse among adolescents is a major community health concern, particularly in socioeconomically disadvantaged settings such as mining communities. Adolescents in these environments are exposed to psychoactive substances that negatively affect their health, social functioning, and educational attainment, often resulting in school dropout. The objective this study assessed the patterns of drug abuse and community-related factors associated with school dropout among adolescents in mining communities of Jos South Local Government Area (LGA), Plateau State, Nigeria. A community-based cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 400 adolescents aged 11–20 years selected from 10 registered mining sites in Jos South LGA. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire covering socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge of drug abuse, commonly abused substances, influencing factors, and perceived effects on health and schooling. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations) with IBM SPSS Statistics version 30. The results of the mean age of respondents was 15.41 ± 2.87 years. Alcohol (75%), cannabis (Indian hemp) (73%), goskolo (70%), codeine-containing cough syrup (65%), herbal mixtures (65%), tramadol (60%), and cigarettes (60%) were the most commonly abused substances. Peer group influence (67.5%) was the predominant factor associated with drug abuse, followed by depression, availability of drugs, unemployment, and school-related stress. Drug abuse was perceived to negatively affect adolescents’ physical health, psychological wellbeing, social behavior, academic performance, and school retention. In conclusion, drug abuse is highly prevalent among adolescents in mining communities of Jos South LGA and is strongly associated with school dropout. Multi-sectoral interventions are urgently needed.