Assessment of parental drug addiction, abuse and misuse on children self-esteem in southwest Nigeria

Abstract

Drug is any chemical substance which when taking interact with tissues to modify the biochemical process such as perceptions, cognition, mood, behaviour and general body functions. It is a major public health concern that impacts not just the user but also the user's family and-is becoming increasingly problematic in Nigeria. The study evaluated parental drug addiction, drug abuse and drug misuse on children self-esteem in Nigeria. Four research questions were answered using ex-post facto research type. Population comprised all addicted parents in Southwest, Nigeria. Fisher’s formula was used to sample 400 participants. Three instruments; Drug Addiction Prevalence Questionnaire (DAPQ), r-0.78, Drug Addiction Effect on Children Questionnaire (DAECQ), r=0.80 and Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale (RSS), r-0.83 were used for data collection. Data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics at 0.05 level of significance. Result revealed that 175(43,8%) males were addicted, 39% and 14.5% abuse and misuse drug respectively. There was significant relationship of the three independent variables: parental drug addiction (r = 0.259, p < 0.05), drug abuse (r =.698, p < 0.05) and drug misuse (r = .151, p < 0.05) on children self- ' esteem. The entire independent variables: parental drug addiction (fi =0.205, t = 6.512, p < 0.05), drug abuse (fi = 0.300, t - 8.431, p < 0,05) and drug misuse (f - 0,119, t = 4,069, p < 0.05) contributed significantly. The result showed that the effect constitutes one of the most deadly menaces faced by Nigerians today that must be eradicated. The-study recommends aggressive sensitization programmes.