Morakinyo Jide, Odejide A O
Department of Psychiatry, University College Hospital, Oyo State, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Drug Alcohol Depend. 2003 Aug 20;71(2):109-16. doi: 10.1016/s0376-8716(03)00093-0.
The nature of continuous exposure to the street and its associated lifestyles make street children vulnerable to the use of psychoactive substances. At present, there is insufficient information regarding the pattern of psychoactive substance use among this group of children in Nigeria.
To determine the pattern of psychoactive substance use among street children and to explore those socio-demographic and street factors that could be related to current psychoactive substance use.
Using a multistage sampling method in a local government area in Nigeria, 180 children aged 18 years and below who had left the custody of their parents for a period of not less than a month were interviewed.
The most commonly used psychoactive substances were alcohol, kolanut, tobacco and cannabis. None of the respondents reported the use of cocaine, opiates or hallucinogens. Length of stay on the street was found to be significantly predictive of current psychoactive substance use.
The readily available and relatively cheap substances were in common use among street children with the length of stay on the street being a significant predictive factor. The affected community and the government should design methods of curtailing the problem of drug use and helping the children off the street.
持续暴露于街头环境及其相关生活方式，使得街头儿童易受精神活性物质使用的影响。目前，关于尼日利亚这一群体儿童使用精神活性物质的模式，信息并不充分。
确定街头儿童使用精神活性物质的模式，并探究那些可能与当前精神活性物质使用相关的社会人口学及街头因素。
在尼日利亚一个地方政府辖区采用多阶段抽样方法，对180名18岁及以下、已离开父母监护不少于一个月的儿童进行了访谈。
最常使用的精神活性物质是酒精、可乐果、烟草和大麻。没有受访者报告使用过可卡因、阿片类药物或致幻剂。发现街头停留时间是当前精神活性物质使用的显著预测因素。
街头儿童普遍使用容易获得且相对便宜的物质，街头停留时间是一个重要的预测因素。受影响的社区和政府应设计方法来减少药物使用问题，并帮助儿童离开街头。
