Effect of Peer Pressure on Substance Use Among In-School Youths in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, South South Nigeria

Peer pressure is one of the most consistently identified risk factors for substance use initiation and escalation among adolescents in Nigeria, and its influence is particularly salient in urban settings characterised by social inequality and limited structured youth activities. This study examines the effect of peer pressure on substance use behaviour among in-school youths in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. A cross-sectional design is applied to 310 senior secondary school students aged 14 to 20 years from six schools recruited through stratified random sampling. The Peer Pressure Scale and the Drug Use Screening Tool, adapted for the Nigerian cultural context, are administered along with a sociodemographic questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, chi-square analysis, and logistic regression are computed in SPSS. Literature from South South Nigerian urban centres identifies alcohol, cannabis, and tramadol abuse as the most prevalent substance use categories among in-school youths, with peer-encouraged initiation accounting for over 60 percent of first-use incidents in comparable studies. Social Learning Theory by Bandura and the Social Influence Model provide the dual theoretical reference. Findings are expected to show that peer conformity pressure is a stronger predictor of substance use than family risk factors in this urban context, informing school-based prevention programmes and counselling interventions for Rivers State secondary schools. Keywords: peer pressure, substance use, in-school youths, Port Harcourt, Rivers State.