EXPLORING THE NEXUS BETWEEN TRAMADOL ABUSE AND PSYCHOSOCIAL WELL-BEING OF STUDENTS: EVIDENCE FROM JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN GHANA

Abstract

Tramadol misuse has emerged as a critical social and public health conundrum among adolescents in Ghana, with limited evidence on its prevalence and psychosocial implications at the Junior High School (JHS) level. This cross-sectional survey was therefore conducted in JHS across 16 circuits in the Sagnarigu Municipality. Structured Questionnaire (SQ) was employed to collect the data from 60 students randomly sampled for the research. The internal consistencies of the items in the questionnaires was tested using Cronbach Alpha formula which yielded α=.81 which was acceptable for the research. The data were analyzed using inferential statistics such as chi-square tests, logistic regression analysis, and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) to examine the prevalence, predictors, and the impact of tramadol abuse on psychosocial outcomes such as behavior, mood, interpersonal relationships, and anxiety. The findings revealed that 43.3% of respondents reported tramadol use, with varying frequencies from occasional to daily. Logistic regression identified age (p < 0.01) and grade (p < 0.05) as significant predictors of tramadol use. Chi-square tests discovered a significant correlation between tramadol use and interpersonal relationship changes (p < 0.001) as well as increased anxiety levels (p < 0.05). Similarly, the MANOVA results demonstrated that tramadol uses significantly affects behaviour, mood, relationship dynamics, and anxiety level of users (Wilks’ λ = 0.3855, p < 0.001). Based on these findings, it has been recommended that the GES support school-based intervention programmes that incorporates drug education into the school curriculum for awareness creation, family-centered intervention that empower parents with knowledge and skills to monitor their children and communicate effectively to them about tramadol consumption risks, strengthening drug regulations by law enforcement agencies to cut the supply of tramadol drugs, and provision of counselling, psychosocial support and rehabilitation to tramadol drug addicts.