SUBSTANCE ABUSE AS A PREDICTOR OF VIOLENT TENDENCIES AMONG UNIVERSITY UNDERGRADUATES IN SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA

Abstract

Violence among university students is a growing social concern with significant psychological, academic, and societal implications. This study examined substance abuse as a predictor of violence tendencies among undergraduates in Southwestern Nigeria, with a focus on Federal University Oye-Ekiti (FUOYE), Federal University of Technology Akure (FUTA), and Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB). The ex post facto research design was employed in study which involves a sample of 300 undergraduate students, selected using a multistage sampling technique across the three universities. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, including the DAST-10 for substance abuse and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire for violence tendency. Descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, and regression analyses were employed to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 significance level. Result revealed a significant gender in violence tendency among undergraduates, with female students reporting higher violence tendency than male students (t(298) = -2.41, p < .05). Substance abuse significantly predicted violence tendency (β = .44, t = 8.36, p < .05), accounting for 19% of the variance (R² = .19). Furthermore, gender and substance abuse jointly and significantly predicted violence tendency, explaining 22% of the variance in violent tendencies among undergraduates (R² = .22, F(3,296) = 27.82, p < .05). This shows the multidimensional interplay of demographic and behavioural factors in shaping violence tendencies among undergraduates. The study contributes context-specific evidence to the growing literature on university violence, emphasizing the importance of integrating substance abuse prevention, gender-sensitive interventions, and psychosocial support in campus safety strategies.