Family and antisocial behaviour among adolescents in Nasarawa: examining their relationships

Abstract

Cases of violence by youths in Nigeria are on the increase. As the first and very important agent of socialization, the family is usually where questions on children’s behavioural manifestations are directed. A lot of emphasis is placed on the importance of a healthy parental cohesion and unity/disunity and child outcome. This work examined the relationship between the family and adolescent’s antisocial behaviour. Various studies on parenting and children’s behavioural outcome were reviewed. Participants N=100, aged 14-18 years and mean age of 16 years were used for the study. They were drawn from different secondary schools in Keffi, karu and Guruku local government areas of Nasarawa state. Result of the study showed a relationship between intact families and delinquency at 52.5% and broken families and delinquency at 46.5%.