Effect of Life Skills Training Towards the Prevention of Drug Abuse among Adolescents in Nigeria (Published)
School-based intervention is an appropriate approach for improving adolescents’ knowledge on drug abuse. The study aimed to examine the effectiveness of life skill program as an interventional tool in the prevention of drug abuse among adolescents. This quasi-experimental (control and experimental group) design was carried out using a random sampling technique to recruit 287 adolescents. A semi structured questionnaire on effectiveness of life skills assessment regarding drug abuse was developed while knowledge was assessed using a standard instrument (DAST-10). After the initial data collection, intervention program was administered for six weeks, after which a second data were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. For experimental group, the mean score of the general knowledge of adolescent increased from 5.00 to 13.08, perception, from 3.67 to 9.84, and Life Skill Programs (LSP) efficacy, from 2.98±58 to 15.66±1.48 while control group remains unchanged. The effect of the training shows a statistically significant different between the general knowledge, knowledge on prevention, and perception of adolescent before and after intervention at 95% CI. Also, adolescents’ intentions for abusing drug were significantly related with(age), (gender) and (family structure) at 95% CI. Life Skill Training (LST) was discovered to promote interactive, decision-making, problem-solving, critical thinking and stress management skills and lead to more social acceptability, which in turn reduce drug abuse tendency.
Keywords: Adolescents, Drug Abuse, Nigeria, life skill training