Short Communication
Peter Woodruff
Abstract
Introduction: Nine research questions were asked, and both quantitative and qualitative analyses were applied to analyze data. This perceived problem necessitated this study. However, Nigerian literature on substance abuse among adolescents stresses the need for further studies on the attitude of adolescents towards cough syrup abuse in Nigeria, meaning that the pattern of similarities or differences in the attitude of adolescents towards cough syrup abuse in the Nigerian context remains insufficiently explored, as most previous studies focused on the similarities or differences in the attitude of adolescents towards general substance abuse or substances other than cough syrup. Therefore, principal officials in the field of clinical psychology are encouraged to consider the results, and implement the recommendations from this survey. Abdu-Raheem et al. determined that adolescent’s family background, peer influence, and family cohesion significantly explained attitudes towards general substance abuse among adolescents in Ekiti and Ondo state, Nigeria. Aina et al. found that gender was a predictor of substance abuse behaviors, with males being more likely than females to report favorable attitudes towards general substance abuse. Also, Adebowale et al. found in a survey that, knowledge about general drug abuse and attitude towards general drug abuse contributes towards the likelihood that adolescents will give into drug abuse. We explored how clinical psychology is viewed among non-mental health professionals, and extracted recommendations for accelerating the growth of clinical psychology in Nigeria. Furthermore, Idowu et al. found in a survey carried out in Ogbomoso, Southwest Nigeria, that most adolescent participants were substance abusers, with tramadol as their major abused substance; in addition it was found that the perceived benefits associated with tramadol abuse contributed immensely towards the participants ’ attitude to tramadol abuse. Also, Adenugba et al. reported in a study that Nigerian females have several high-risk behaviors in relation to general substance abuse. One area of substance abuse among adolescents that is currently a problem, and has not been fully understood in the Nigerian context is the attitudes of adolescents towards cough syrup abuse. Thus, to inform policy actions for reducing cough syrup abuse among Nigerian adolescents, this study explored the attitudes of adolescents towards cough syrup abuse in two Southwest states of Nigeria, where substance abuse is rampant. By a stratified sampling method, 302 adolescents (152 males, 150 females; mean age = 13.61 years, SD = 2.09) were selected from secondary schools in Lagos and Oyo states, Nigeria, and data were collected using existing questionnaires with strong psychometric properties, and the response rate was 97.42%. Four (4) hypotheses were stated and tested using independent sample t-test and correlation statistics at p<0.05. Also, parents/caregivers of adolescents need to be actively involved in educating adolescents on the hazards associated with substance abuse. Despite increasing efforts to advance psychology and its subfields in Africa, literature provides evidence-based supports that psychology is still lacking in sufficient meaning, and growth. Objectives: The abuse of substances has become among the major high-risk behaviors of adolescents across cultures in the present day, with adolescents abusing substances such as codeine, cannabis, alcohol, etc. The willingness of adolescents to be involved in substance abuse is influenced by numerous variables as identified in the literature. One area of substance abuse among adolescents that is currently a problem, and has not been fully understood in the Nigerian context is the attitudes of adolescents towards cough syrup abuse. Results: These different studies have identified certain variables accounting for adolescents’ similarities or differences in attitudes towards general substance abuse or substances other than cough syrup, for instance, Oshikoya et al. determined in a survey that knowledge about general drug abuse was a major determinant of substance abuse behaviors among undergraduate students in Lagos, Nigeria. Using accidental sampling technique, a total of 107 participants (58 males & 49 females), with mean age of 40.92 (SD = 10.37) from Lagos, Nigeria were surveyed on their views about clinical psychology. Thus, to inform policy actions for reducing cough syrup abuse among Nigerian adolescents, this study explored the attitudes of adolescents towards cough syrup abuse in two Southwest states of Nigeria, where substance abuse is rampant. The findings from the study concluded that, adolescents ’ age and family marital structure were the variables found that significantly accounted for their attitudes towards cough syrup abuse, thus it is imperative enough that as adolescents are growing older, they are rightly guided against giving into substance abuse. Conclusion: The conclusion from the total results showed that, although most participants have heard about clinical psychology in Nigeria, surprisingly most of them do not have accurate views about what clinical psychology entails, and these inaccurate views held about what clinical psychology entails, contributes to the delayed growth of clinical psychology in Nigeria.