Religiosity, Spirituality and Adolescent Substance Use in North-Central Nigeria

Religiosity and spirituality promote good mental health and prevent mental illness but can sometimes become risk factors for substance abuse. This study aimed to assess the associations between religiosity, spirituality and psychoactive substance use among in-school adolescents in Ilorin. The data collection tools used includes a proforma test, WHO students drug use survey and the religiosity and spirituality index. A total of 2001 participants were included in the study using a proforma test, WHO students drug use survey and the Religiosity and Spirituality index, with 1083 being males between the ages of 15 - 19. Among them, 53% were Christians, 46.6% were Muslims, 0.2% practiced Traditional African Religion while three students had no religion. It was discovered that alcohol and analgesic use were more common among Christians, while organic solvent use was more prevalent among Muslims, with one of the four Traditional African Religion students also reporting organic solvent use. Our findings highlighted the impact of religiosity and spirituality in the prevalence and patterns of adolescent substance use.

Key Words: adolescent substance use, religiosity, spirituality, mental health