DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS INFLUENCING RELAPSE AVOIDANCE AMONG DRUG-DEPENDENT ADOLESCENTS IN A FEDERAL NEUROPSYCHIATRIC HOSPITAL, NIGERIA

Abstract

Many young adolescents after some times take into drug which has become worrisome especially in a global south like Nigeria. Many factors have been investigated on relapse avoidance but the role of demographic factors have been given less attention to in the extant literature. This present study examined the influence of family type, accessibility to illicit drugs, and parent socio-economic background) on relapse avoidance among drug dependent adolescents in a selected neuropsychiatric hospital in Yaba, Lagos State. Using an ex-post facto research design and adopting cross-sectional method, a sample size of 344 respondents (Mean_age = 17.25years; SD = 1.34) was randomly selected. They completed a measure of demographic factors and relapse avoidance. Data was analysed using both descriptive and inferential statistics with the IBM-SPSS Version 27. The study found that drug dependent adolescents who are from the monogamous family reported higher on relapse avoidance ability. Th result also revealed that drug dependent adolescents who are highly accessible to illicit drug reported higher on relapse avoidance ability. The result of the study also found that drug dependent adolescents from the average parent socioeconomic status reported higher on relapse avoidance ability. The study concluded that family type, parental socioeconomic status and accessibility to drug needs to be seriously considered when implementing interventions as this in a way will help build relapse avoidance ability among drug dependent adolescents.

Keywords: Relapse avoidance ability, family type, accessibility to drugs, parental socioeconomic status, drug dependent adolescents