Effect of psychoeducation on knowledge and attitudes toward mental health consequences of substance use among commercial drivers in Nigeria

Effect of psychoeducation on knowledge and attitudes toward mental health consequences of substance use among commercial drivers in Nigeria | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Effect of psychoeducation on knowledge and attitudes toward mental health consequences of substance use among commercial drivers in Nigeria Idris Babatunde Aminu, Joel Adeleke Afolayan, Deborah Tolulope Esan This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8934578/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 8 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Substance abuse among commercial drivers poses significant public health and road safety concerns, particularly in low-resource settings such as Nigeria. Limited knowledge and negative attitudes toward mental health and substance use disorders contribute to risky behaviors and poor help-seeking. This study assessed the prevalence of substance abuse among commercial drivers in selected local government areas of Osun State and evaluated the effect of a psychoeducational intervention on drivers’ knowledge and attitudes toward the mental health consequences of substance abuse. Methods A quasi-experimental pre–post intervention design was employed among 216 commercial drivers. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, substance use history, knowledge of mental health consequences, and attitudes toward substance abuse. A structured psychoeducational program was implemented, followed by post-intervention assessment. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize variables, and pre–post changes were examined using t-test, with level of significance set at p < 0.05. Results Overall, 42.6% of respondents reported a history of substance abuse, with tobacco (45.8%), alcohol (31.0%), and cannabis (22.7%) being the most commonly used substances. Baseline knowledge of mental health consequences was poor, with 70.8% classified as having poor knowledge. Following the intervention, good knowledge increased from 9.7% to 55.6%. Similarly, the proportion of respondents with positive attitudes toward mental health and substance abuse increased from 43.5% pre-intervention to 69.9% post-intervention. Most participants (53.7%) perceived the psychoeducation program as having a high impact on their understanding and coping behaviors. Conclusion Substance abuse is prevalent among commercial drivers in Osun State, accompanied by low baseline knowledge and negative attitudes toward mental health. Psychoeducation significantly improved knowledge and attitudes demonstrating its effectiveness as a public health intervention in this population. Integrating mental health education into occupational and community health programs may enhance driver well-being and road safety. substance abuse commercial drivers psychoeducation mental health literacy attitudes Nigeria public health nursing Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 03 May, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 04 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 24 Mar, 2026 Editor invited by journal 06 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 04 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 03 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 03 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8934578","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":611564790,"identity":"d45696de-36ac-480f-8e71-1d49f5ca6d84","order_by":0,"name":"Idris Babatunde Aminu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"bowen university","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Idris","middleName":"Babatunde","lastName":"Aminu","suffix":""},{"id":611564792,"identity":"c03e177a-aa51-475d-8dae-434fa362d701","order_by":1,"name":"Joel Adeleke Afolayan","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"university of ilorin","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Joel","middleName":"Adeleke","lastName":"Afolayan","suffix":""},{"id":611564795,"identity":"cb723085-05ad-4fb2-bfed-12bf55a1cb65","order_by":2,"name":"Deborah Tolulope Esan","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAABD0lEQVRIiWNgGAWjYDCCAzxgEsL52AAV5SFWC+NMkrUw8xKjhe9478HHFTV3GPj5Dz97bLvDJrFfuoHxwds2hjx5B+xaJM+cSzY8c+wZg+SMNHPj3DNpiTPnHGA2nNvGUGx4ALsWgxs5ZpINbIeBDAYz6dy2w7kbbiSwSfO2MSRubMCh5f4boJZ/hxnszx//Jm0J1LL/RgL7b7xabvCYSTa2AW1hyDGTZgTZIpHAxgzSMh+H9yXP5CUbNvYd5pG4kVMm2XsmrX7GjcRmyTnnJBI34AyxswcfNnw7LMfff3ybxM8dNsb8M5IPfnhTZpM4H4fDYAA5IhhBaiUYDA7g14IFyBOwZRSMglEwCkYMAAAMQmLjZBMMQQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"","institution":"bowen university","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Deborah","middleName":"Tolulope","lastName":"Esan","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-21 15:55:17","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8934578/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8934578/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":105567091,"identity":"c7ca5844-76e2-4fdf-85f3-52e2255e3bc7","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-03-27 12:58:16","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":542527,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"ManuscriptDiscoverMentalHealth.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8934578/v1_covered_4f621159-fc75-42bb-896d-6e2df4ab4998.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Effect of psychoeducation on knowledge and attitudes toward mental health consequences of substance use among commercial drivers in Nigeria ","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-mental-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"dimh","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Mental Health](https://www.springer.com/44192)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Mental Health","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"substance abuse, commercial drivers, psychoeducation, mental health literacy, attitudes, Nigeria, public health nursing","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8934578/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8934578/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003ch2\u003eBackground\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSubstance abuse among commercial drivers poses significant public health and road safety concerns, particularly in low-resource settings such as Nigeria. Limited knowledge and negative attitudes toward mental health and substance use disorders contribute to risky behaviors and poor help-seeking. This study assessed the prevalence of substance abuse among commercial drivers in selected local government areas of Osun State and evaluated the effect of a psychoeducational intervention on drivers\u0026rsquo; knowledge and attitudes toward the mental health consequences of substance abuse.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eMethods\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eA quasi-experimental pre\u0026ndash;post intervention design was employed among 216 commercial drivers. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire assessing socio-demographic characteristics, substance use history, knowledge of mental health consequences, and attitudes toward substance abuse. A structured psychoeducational program was implemented, followed by post-intervention assessment. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize variables, and pre\u0026ndash;post changes were examined using t-test, with level of significance set at p\u0026thinsp;\u0026lt;\u0026thinsp;0.05.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eOverall, 42.6% of respondents reported a history of substance abuse, with tobacco (45.8%), alcohol (31.0%), and cannabis (22.7%) being the most commonly used substances. Baseline knowledge of mental health consequences was poor, with 70.8% classified as having poor knowledge. Following the intervention, good knowledge increased from 9.7% to 55.6%. Similarly, the proportion of respondents with positive attitudes toward mental health and substance abuse increased from 43.5% pre-intervention to 69.9% post-intervention. Most participants (53.7%) perceived the psychoeducation program as having a high impact on their understanding and coping behaviors.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusion\u003c/h2\u003e \u003cp\u003eSubstance abuse is prevalent among commercial drivers in Osun State, accompanied by low baseline knowledge and negative attitudes toward mental health. Psychoeducation significantly improved knowledge and attitudes demonstrating its effectiveness as a public health intervention in this population. Integrating mental health education into occupational and community health programs may enhance driver well-being and road safety.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Effect of psychoeducation on knowledge and attitudes toward mental health consequences of substance use among commercial drivers in Nigeria","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-03-26 18:31:08","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8934578/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-03T11:23:47+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"275911489190028259584014455738883732768","date":"2026-04-23T12:49:27+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"214438679850171906065071231198635217788","date":"2026-04-04T19:41:13+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-24T16:38:55+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-03-06T11:36:04+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-03-04T07:59:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-03-03T18:56:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Mental Health","date":"2026-03-03T12:05:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"discover-mental-health","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"dimh","sideBox":"Learn more about [Discover Mental Health](https://www.springer.com/44192)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Mental Health","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Discover Series","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"ba4c9a40-390e-4d2f-8bbc-3444581ee5e9","owner":[],"postedDate":"March 26th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-05-03T11:23:47+00:00","index":103,"fulltext":""}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-03-26T18:31:08+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-03-26 18:31:08","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8934578","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8934578","identity":"rs-8934578","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}