Family Factors and Psychoactive Substance Use among Adolescents in Nigeria

Abstract

In Nigeria, family is most important. It is usually made up of people who are related by blood, marriage, or adoption. Family plays a major role in influencing the use of psychoactive substances by adolescents and can help protect the adolescents or the reverse. Family differs in so many ways, for example, in the extent of support for education, children’s upbringing, monitoring peer activities among others. There are certain family situations where values are not being instilled, parental and social guides are not in place to ensure that children are well brought up. High levels of economic hardship (such as unemployment), family conflict, poor communication skills, domestic violence, parental divorce or single parenting, death, parental criminal activity among others disrupt parenting which reduces adolescents’ emotional security and reinforce the use of aggression and interpersonal hostility which in turn expose them to certain risks of psychoactive substance use. It is in this context that this chapter examines how family factors affect the use of psychoactive substances among adolescents in Nigeria. Empirical investigations were carried out through a review of literature search. The findings show family factors having a significant influence on the use of psychoactive substances among adolescents in Nigeria. In addition, proper parental relationship through training of moral values, teachings of the immense danger attributed to the use of psychoactive substances through counseling and communication skills could serve as a control measure that will discourage the future use and thus improve the health, safety and the general well-being of the adolescents.

Citation

Ojo, T.F., Agboola, E.B. and Kukoyi, O.B. (2022), "Family Factors and Psychoactive Substance Use among Adolescents in Nigeria", Fawole, O.A. and Blair, S.L. (Ed.) Families in Nigeria: Understanding Their Diversity, Adaptability, and Strengths (Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, Vol. 18), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 87-98. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1530-353520220000018007