A cross-sectional study on resilience, anxiety, depression, and psychoactive substance use among heterosexual and sexual minority adolescents in Nigeria

Olanrewaju Ibikunle Ibigbami; Olakunle Ayokunmi Oginni; Cory Bradley; Joanne Lusher; Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu; Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan

doi:10.1186/s12889-023-16660-1

A cross-sectional study on resilience, anxiety, depression, and psychoactive substance use among heterosexual and sexual minority adolescents in Nigeria

BMC Public Health. 2023 Sep 9;23(1):1759. doi: 10.1186/s12889-023-16660-1.

Authors

Olanrewaju Ibikunle Ibigbami¹, Olakunle Ayokunmi Oginni¹, Cory Bradley², Joanne Lusher³, Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu^{4

5}, Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan^{6

7}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
² Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
³ Regent's University London, London, UK.
⁴ International Research Center of Excellence, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.
⁵ Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA.
⁶ Department of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. toyinukpong@yahoo.co.uk.
⁷ Oral Health Initiative, Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria. toyinukpong@yahoo.co.uk.

Abstract

Background: Mental health-related problems predispose alcohol and other psychoactive substances use as coping strategies. We assessed associations between resilience and anxiety symptoms, depressive symptoms, problematic alcohol, and multiple psychoactive substance use among sexual minority and heterosexual adolescents in Nigeria.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of a subset of data generated through an online cross-sectional study conducted between 16^th and 31^st of October 2020. Data extracted for adolescents in Nigeria age 13-19 years were: dependent variables (alcohol use using the CAGE test, multiple psychoactive substance use, depressive symptoms using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, and anxiety symptoms using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 measure); independent variables (resilience using the Connor-Davidson resilience scale and sexual identity), and confounding factors (age and sex). Associations between dependent and independent variables were determined using multivariable logistic regression analyses after controlling for confounders.

Results: Of the 1419 adolescent participants, 593 (42%) were sexual minority individuals, 533 (37.6%) had high depressive symptoms, 381 (26.8%) had high anxiety symptoms, 177 (12.5%) had problematic alcohol use and 389 (27.4%) used multiple psychoactive substances. Resilience was significantly associated with lower odds of anxiety (AOR:0.96, 95% CI: 0.94-0.97, p < 0.001) and depressive (AOR:0.94, 95% CI: 0.92-0.96, p < 0.001) symptoms, problematic alcohol use (AOR:0.97, 95% CI: 0.95-0.99, p = 0.002), and multiple psychoactive substance use (AOR:0.95, 95% CI: 0.93-0.96, p < 0.001). Sexual minority adolescents had significantly higher odds of anxiety (AOR:4.14, 95% CI: 3.16-5.40, p < 0.001) and depressive symptoms (AOR:4.79; 95% CI: 3.73-6.15, p < 0.001), problematic alcohol use (AOR:2.48, 95% CI: 1.76-3.49, p < 0.001), and multiple psychoactive substance use (AOR:5.69, 95% CI: 4.34-7.47, p < 0.001).

Conclusion: Sexual minority adolescents and adolescents with low resilience have a higher need for interventions to reduce the risk of anxiety, depression, and the use of alcohol and other psychoactive substances.

Keywords: Adolescents; Alcohol; Anxiety; Depression; Multiple substance use.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adolescent
Adult
Anxiety / epidemiology
Anxiety Disorders
Cross-Sectional Studies
Depression / epidemiology
Ethanol
Heterosexuality
Humans
Nigeria / epidemiology
Sexual and Gender Minorities*
Substance-Related Disorders* / epidemiology
Young Adult

Substances

Ethanol