ASSESSMENT OF SUBSTANCE ABUSE KNOWLEDGE AND REFUSAL SKILLS ABILITY AMONG NEWLY ADMITTED UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS IN THE UNIVERSITY OF LAGOS, NIGERIA

Abstract

The transition from secondary school to university marks a critical period in a student’s life as
a result of exposures to new environments, and experiences outside the watch of parents
including early independence and attachment to peer and friends as a stop gap. Based on these
challenges being faced constantly by undergraduates, there is an increased likelihood of
engaging in risky behaviours such as substance abuse. This study therefore aimed to assess the
level of knowledge of substance abuse, and refusal skill ability among the newly admitted
undergraduates in the University of Lagos, Nigeria. Using a descriptive research design, data
was collected from a randomly selected 1200 sample of first-year university students across
different academic disciplines. A validated and pretested self-structured questionnaire was
administered to the participants. The results obtained revealed knowledge gaps in areas
related to the potential consequences and the harmful effects associated with the use of
substances, as well as the effects and workings of psychoactive substances on the brain. Lack
of refusal skills ability was also discovered to be significant in the study with a significant
number of the participants indicating their needs for a comprehensive drug education.
Therefore, this study concluded that substance abuse knowledge and refusal skills ability are
crucial components in the prevention of substance abuse among the young ones, and should be
adequately developed through a comprehensive health education program among newly
admitted undergraduates of various institutions to promote a safe and substance abuse free
campus environment.