Drug abuse among Nigerian high-school adolescents: Exploring the relationship with problematic internet use, suicidality, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem

Background: Drug abuse is a global public health problem that is associated with increased psychiatric morbidity and mortality. Objectives: This study assessed the prevalence of drug abuse and its relationship with problematic Internet use (PIU), suicidality, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem among high school adolescents. Materials and Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study involving 1304 Nigerian high school adolescents recruited through the multistage stratified sampling method. The participants completed a study-specific sociodemographic questionnaire, a 10-item Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST), Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire-Short Form-6 (PIU-SF-6), the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview Suicidality module, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Results: The prevalence rate of drug abuse was 49.8%. Adolescents who abused drugs had higher mean scores on PIU, suicidality, depression, and anxiety scales and lower scores on the self-esteem scale. All these variables cumulatively accounted for approximately 22% of the total variance in the DAST score. Conclusions: Drug abuse is still prevalent among Nigerian adolescents, with a significant association with PIU, suicidality, depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem. All these variables may provide the template for psychological and social interventions that are specifically targeted to the management of drug abuse among Nigerian adolescents.