Accessibility And Impact of The Abuse of Opioids and Marijuana on Students’ Academic Performance and Wellbeing

Substance abuse, wellbeing and academic performance

Abstract

The abuse of opioids and marijuana among university students is a growing public health concern with far-reaching consequences. Yet, there is a dearth of research on the subject in Ghana. This study examined the accessibility, motivations, and impact of opioids and marijuana abuse on the academic performance and wellbeing of KNUST students. Drug Abuse Screening Test (DAST-10) and Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scale (RPWS-18) were used to obtain data from a sample of students using a cross-sectional survey and convenient sampling method to investigate students’ perceptions on ease of accessibility, motivations of use and associated correlates. Our findings showed that opioids and marijuana were readily accessible on campus and students had varied reasons for engaging in the use and abuse of these substances. A significant number of students used opioids for pain relief and peer pressure was a significant motive in the abuse of both opioids and marijuana. Students who abused opioids were also likely to abuse marijuana. Opioids misuse was significantly associated with poorer psychological wellbeing and academic performance. However, better academic performance was associated with two domains of wellbeing - mastery and sense of purpose. Implication of findings suggest a multifaceted approach to address opioids and marijuana abuse among students that include psycho-educational training campaigns focusing on self-efficacy to boost resilience and curb peer pressure influence in addition to initiation of context-specific measures to stem illicit drug sales on campus.