Effects of psychosocial interventions on growth of adolescent students in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County

Abstract

The main objective of the study was to examine the effects of psychosocial interventions on growth of adolescent students in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County. The theoretical frame-work used in this study was the Social Cognitive Theory that considers the unique way in which individuals acquire and maintain behaviour which considers the social environment of an individual. The study applied the descriptive research design. The target population was 239 public secondary schools within Tranzoia County and a sample size of 116 schools was arrived at using Nassiuma (2000) formula. The sample for the study was identified by using convenience and stratified random sampling techniques. Data was collected using structured questionnaires, document analysis, interviews and observation schedule. The study adopted descriptive and inferential data analysis. The study found that both of psychosocial interventions affect growth of adolescent students significantly in public secondary schools. Majority of the respondents indicated that the psychosocial challenges depicted by the adolescent students in their schools is depression (42%) anxiety disorder (17%) emotional and behavioural difficulties (12%), substance abuse (14%), Suicidal behaviour (10%) and lastly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (5%). It was eident that majority of the respondents strongly agreed that (Mean=4.77) the psychosocial interventions add value to adolescent students’ growth/development. The regression of coefficients results showed that psychosocial interventions and adolescent student growth are positively and significantly related (β=0.295, p=0.000). The findings will be useful in the development of useful guidelines on cognitive mentors on psychosocial behaviour and also to lay strong ground for further interventional research.