Abstract
Misuse of drugs among female undergraduates in Nigeria is a growing health issue in the country, being influenced by peer and media factors. This paper has discussed how peer and media issues contribute to the problem of drug misuse among undergraduate females specifically at the University of Ibadan. A descriptive survey design was adopted and 462 female students across the different faculties completed the study questionnaire as opposed to Issue 2/2026 491 the 500 that was initially administered. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data which were analyzed by descriptive statistics, correlation and regression analysis. Results showed that drug misuse behaviours including self-medication, non-adherence to prescribed drugs and use of left over or non-prescribed drugs moderately occurred with the latter two being the most frequent. Peer influence played a moderate role in drug misuse with observational learning and peer conformity playing the most significant role. It was also found that media influence played a most significant role, especially through the presentation of celebrities and media romanticisation of drug use. Regression analyses indicated that peers and media had a combination of 30.8% variance of drug misuse with the media influence being the most dominant one. The research concludes that peers and media have a considerable influence in creating behaviours in the use of drugs and thus their gender sensitivity interventions are needed, media literacy and peer-based awareness should be employed to reduce drug abuse among female undergraduates.