Lifetime and 12 months cannabis use and disorders among soldiers residing in a military community in Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Objective: The main aim of the study was to determine the lifetime and 12 months prevalence of cannabis use and cannabis use disorder (CUD) and their correlates among a military population in Nigeria.

Method: Military officers (N = 223) were interviewed in this descriptive cross-sectional study. The Composite International Diagnostic Interview 7.0 was used to generate data on prevalence of cannabis use and to obtain the diagnosis of CUD.

Results: Prevalence of lifetime cannabis was 13.5%, 12 months (6.8%), lifetime cannabis abuse (4.9%), lifetime cannabis dependence (0.9%), lifetime CUD (5.8%), and 12-month CUD (2.2%). Predictors at 95% CI of lifetime cannabis use include: elementary education OR = 2.23 (1.13–5.23), Hausa ethnicity/Fulani OR = 2.30, (1.34–5.82), minority tribes OR = 1.33 (1.12–3.66), ever received disciplinary action OR = 1.77, (1.19–5.64), ever deployed to operational areas OR = 1.12 (1.02–3.21), and ever injured in combat OR = 2.45, (1.39–7.41); and predictors of 12 months cannabis use include: elementary education OR = 1.78 (1.09–4.62), Hausa/Fulani ethnicity OR = 2.06 (1.27–533), the minority tribes OR = 1.42 (1.08–4.58), and ever injured in combat OR = 1.79 (1.04–5.21).

Conclusion: Certain workplace factors, similar to other parts of the world, were associated with cannabis use in the Nigerian military.

KEYWORDS:

• Cannabis
• Education
• Ethnicity
• Military
• “Workplace Factors”

Author contributions

First author (VO) was involved in study design, data analysis, and manuscript writing, both of us performed manuscript editing. Second author (IJ) was involved in study design and planning, performed the data collection and entry.