Substance Use as Correlates of Disruptive Behaviour among Secondary School Students in Delta State

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between substance use and disruptive behaviour among secondary school students in Delta State, Nigeria. The study adopted the correlational research design. The study was guided by three research questions and three hypotheses. The population of the study comprise 40,959 Junior Secondary School (JSS) 3 students for the 2023/2024 academic session in Delta State. The sample size of the study comprises 1,056 students. Data was collected using a questionnaire, which was validated by expert judgment and factor analysis. The reliability of the instrument was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. It yielded the following coefficients Substance Use Rating Scale = 0.95; and Disruptive Behaviour Rating Scale = 0.93. The questionnaire was administered by the researcher and six research assistants. Data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. descriptive statistics was computed to answer research questions while inferential statistics of regression were used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study that substance use and disruptive behaviour are low. There is a significant relationship between substance use and disruptive behaviour. There was no significant moderating impact of sex in the relationship between substance use and disruptive behaviour, but there was a significant moderating impact of school location in the relationship between substance use and disruptive behaviour among secondary school students in Delta State. Based on these findings, the study recommends that although substance use is low, counsellors should continue to provide educational programs about the risks and consequences of substance abuse.