Age, Impulsivity and Locus of Control as Predictors of Substance Use Disorder among Substance using outpatients in Lagos State

Abstract

Substance use disorder (SUD) has been identified as an emerging national health concern especially among young people. While age, impulsivity and locus of control have been previously linked to substance abuse, this study specifically assessed these three factors in outpatients diagnosed with substance use disorder at the Federal Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Yaba, Lagos. Five hypotheses were tested. The sample included 113 patients (102 males and 11 females), aged between 18-26 years with mean age of 21.19 years (SD= 1.91). Data were collected using the Drug Abuse Screening Test 10 (DAST-10), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-Revised (BIS-R-21) and Nowicki-Strickland Locus of Control Scale (N-SLCS). The research adopted cross sectional survey design and data was analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. The result showed that younger age, high levels of impulsivity, and external locus of control significantly predicted substance use disorder. However, the interaction between impulsivity and locus of control did not provide significant additional predictive value. To combat the rising SUD rates, the study recommends reorienting significant others on parenting practices that focus on fostering cognitive inhibition, affectionate communication and delayed gratification to reduce impulsivity. Additionally, SUD interventions should help young people shift from an external to internal locus of control, teach them to take personal responsibility for their actions from an early age and look inward rather than blaming external factors (outsiders) or circumstances.