EFFECTS OF MARRIAGE AND RELIGION ON DRUG ABUSE AMONG STUDENTS OF SELECTED TERTIARY INSTITUTION IN OWERRI METROPOLIS, IMO STATE, NIGERIA.

Abstract

Purpose: A huge amount of research and literature has reported the disturbing increase in the rate of drug abuse by youths and the havoc which this phenomenon has wreaked on the lives of individuals and nations across the globe. Against this backdrop of this problem, this study explores the effect of marriage and religion on drug abuse among students of selected tertiary institutions in Owerri metropolis in Imo State, Nigeria. Methodology: The objectives include to: i. examine the socio-demographic profile of the target population; ii. Determine the most commonly abused drug by the students; and iii. Determine the effects of marriage and religion on drug abuse among the students. Findings: The study was a cross-sectional research which disproportionately combined qualitative and quantitative methods. A sample size of 2,400 participants, drawn from five tertiary institutions in Owerri Capital Territory, Imo State of Nigeria, was used in the study. Researchers’ made Questionnaire was employed for data collection while binary logistic regression model and descriptive statistics were adopted in the analysis of data. Although the study generally did not find any significant relationship between marriage and drug abuse, it established a higher incidence of drug abuse among the divorced and the separated. The study also found out that the rate of drug abuse was higher among adherents of traditional religion than those of Christianity, Islam and other religions. Recommendation: Based on these findings, the study recommended concerted family and societal efforts to mitigate the incidences of divorce and separation in marriages and to encourage youths to embrace religious organizations that customarily and doctrinally prohibit drug use and abuse.