Substance abuse is a multi-etiological, multi-dimensional and a worldwide problem with an alarming increase in its incidences. This study aimed to evaluate the patterns of use of psychoactive substances and to assess the predominant personality traits among the participants. This cross-sectional study used a purposive sampling technique to examined in-patients with substance abuse problem in a psychiatric facility in Maiduguri. One hundred and four (98.1%) males and (1.9%) females with mean age (x) of 31.1 years and SD (± 7.5) participated in the study. The study revealed cigarette (stimulant) as the most current substance of abuse 74.0%, cannabis (hallucinogen) 71.1%, opiates 69.2% and depressants 60.5%. Additionally, 87.5% of the participants used multiple psychoactive substances. Lastly, 90.4% of the participants' scores were above the mean on Neuroticism, 73.1% on Psychoticism and 55.8% on Extraversion measures. High scores on the three dimensions of personality traits (Psychoticism, Extraversion and Neuroticism) have significant associations to psychoactive substance abuse. The study, therefore, recommend the incorporation of personality assessment in the routine work up and management of patients with substance abuse problems.

Displacement as a result of conflict or insurgency creates a permanent scar on the survivor with physical, psychological and social sequels; however personal factors play a significant role. Therefore, this study investigated personal factors as predictors of psychological distress among internally displaced persons in Maiduguri, Nigeria. In this cross-sectional study of survey type, the multi-stage sampling techniques were employed, and cluster sampling techniques were used to select two Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs) camps. Two hundred and one IDPs residing in the camps were selected using purposive sampling techniques. Their age ranged between 18 and 65 years (M = 37.2; SD = 1.6). The results of Multiple Regression analysis showed that personality traits and a demographic factor (sex) jointly predicted psychological distress among IDPs. The variables jointly accounted for 22% variation R2 = .215 on psychological distress.  Regarding the individual contribution, neuroticism ß = .166; t = 2.34; p .05, conscientiousness ß = -.233; t = -3.36; p .05, openness to experience ß = -.169; t = -2.45; p .05 and sex ß = -.352; t = 5.17; p .05 made a significant prediction on IDPs psychological disturbances. The findings of this study revealed that the personal characteristics of an individual had a predictive influence on psychological distress among IDPs in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

Background: Substance use disorders present with multiple drug-related problems that need to be evaluated with a view to planning and administering holistic interventions that could potentially improve addiction treatment outcomes. Many valid instruments are available for assessing the problems that occur in addiction but most of them require some training and they take a lot of time to administer. This study validates a shorter self-administered version of the Addiction severity Index (ASI) against the Clinician-administered ASI with a view to cutting the time needed to administer the instrument. Methods: The study recruited 142 patients in a residential treatment center. Correlation coefficient and t -test were used to assess for the convergence of the two version. Results: The correlation coefficients ranged from 0.52 to 0.97 for the different domain of the ASI with higher endorsement of problems in the self-administered than clinician administered version in most domains. Conclusion: The self-administered ASI is a valid alternative to the clinician-administered ASI and it saves valuable time especially in resource-constrained settings.

Purpose: Social support strengthening and hope inspiration about recovery may mitigate stigma of mental illness. The study explored on the level of social support as well as the relationship of social support with internalized stigma and recovery attitude among patients with schizophrenia.   Methodology: Through a cross-sectional design and a convenience sampling method, 282 participants with a diagnosis of schizophrenia completed the study. They were interviewed with the Internalized stigma of Mental illness (ISMI) Scale, Oslo-3 Social Support Scale and Recovery Attitude Questionnaire (RAQ-16). The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18 was used for data entry and analysis and Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to assess for the relationship of social support with internalized stigma and recovery attitude. Findings: Perceived social support was moderate to low in majority of the participants (87.5%). The mean scores for social support, internalized stigma and recovery attitude were 3.111 (± 0.748), 2.580 (± 0.245) and 3.561 (± 0.355) respectively.  Social support significantly and negatively correlated with internalized stigma on the domains of stereotype endorsement (r=-0.270; p-0.000), positively correlated with the stigma resistance subscale (r=0.568; p-0.000) and recovery attitude (r=0.428; p-0.000). A negative correlation between recovery attitude and internalized stigma was observed on the domains of stereotype endorsement (r=-0.249; p-0.000) and stigma resistance (r=0.299; p-0.000). Conclusion: The study showed a high level of perceived low to moderate social support and perceived social support both correlated to internalized stigma and recovery attitude. Recommendations: The outcome of this study indicates that strengthening the social support network may enhance positive recovery attitude and mitigate internalized stigma of mental illness. Therefore, there is need to design and adopt mental health intervention that simultaneously targets stigma, promotes recovery attitude and strengthens social support in the overall treatment plan of individuals living with severe mental illness.