Moral Disengagement, Future Time Perspective, Social Exclusion, Emotional Granularity, and Academic Entitlement as Predictors of Substance Abuse among Secondary School Students in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined moral disengagement, future time perspective, social exclusion, emotional granularity, and academic entitlement as predictors of substance abuse among secondary school students in Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design, and a sample of 200 students was selected using a multistage sampling technique. Standardised instruments were used for data collection, while data were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and multiple regression analysis at 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that moral disengagement (r = 0.63), social exclusion (r = 0.55), and academic entitlement (r = 0.59) had significant positive relationships with substance abuse, while future time perspective (r = -0.57) and emotional granularity (r = -0.51) showed significant negative relationships. The study further revealed that the independent variables jointly accounted for 61% of the variance in substance abuse (R² = 0.61), indicating a strong combined predictive power. Relative contribution analysis showed that moral disengagement was the strongest positive predictor, while future time perspective was the strongest protective factor. The study concluded that substance abuse among adolescents is influenced by cognitive, emotional, and social-psychological factors. It was recommended that school-based interventions should target moral reasoning, emotional regulation, and future-oriented thinking to reduce substance abuse among students.