Gender Differentiated Pathways to Substance Abuse among Adolescents from Fractured Families in Kano State, Nigeria

In urban northern Nigeria, traditional family systems are fracturing under economic strain and rising divorce rates, creating a protective vacuum that drives adolescents into substance abuse. Utilizing a convergent parallel mixed-methods design, this empirical study investigated how modern family transitions shape gender-differentiated youth vulnerability and substance abuse patterns across six high-burden Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Kano State: Kano Municipal, Dala, Tarauni, Gwale, Nasarawa, and Kumbotso. Data were gathered from a proportionately balanced sample of 450 adolescents aged 15–21. Quantitative surveys established that family structural disruptions significantly correlate with early substance initiation. Simultaneously, thematic analysis of 24 gender-segregated focus group discussions unmasked starkly divergent, gendered behavioral pathways. Males from fractured homes heavily gravitated toward public, peer-driven consumption of volatile inhalants and solvents, triggered by a structural lack of positive male mentorship. Conversely, females exhibited a highly concealed but widespread prevalence of prescription medication abuse (tramadol and codeine-based syrups) within domestic spaces, uniquely driven by internalized emotional trauma and a collapse of paternal oversight. These findings prove that youth substance dependency is deeply rooted in domestic instability rather than mere criminality. This paper argues for a paradigm shift in the Nigerian health system, advocating for the integration of decentralized, gender-tailored mental health toolkits and family-counseling frameworks directly into primary healthcare centers to achieve sustainable, last-mile intervention.