PEER GROUP INFLUENCE AND PARENTING STYLES AS CORRELATES OF AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOUR AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ABIA STATE, NIGERIA

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1         Background to the Study

1.2     Statement of the Problem        

1.3.    Purpose of the Study

1.4.    Significance of The Study

1.5     Research Questions

1.6     Hypotheses

1.7.    Scope Of The Study

CHAPTER 2

REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1.    Conceptual Framework

2.1.1  Concept Of Peer Group Influence

2.1.2 Parenting Styles

2.1.3 Authoritarian Parenting Style

2.1.4 Authoritative Parenting Style

2.1.5 Neglectful Parenting Style

2.1.6 Indulgent Parenting Style

2.1.7 Parental Discipline

2.1.8 Social Behaviour of Adolescents

2.1.9 Concept of Aggressive Behaviour

2.1.10 Causes Of Aggression

2.1.11 Some Other Causes Of Aggression Include:

2.1.12  Characteristics of Aggressive Children

2.1.13  Classification of Aggression

2.2     Theoretical Framework

2.2.1 Social Learning Theory By Albert Bandura (1977)

2.2.2 Psychoanalytic Theory (Sigmund Freud 1917, 1929)

2.2.3 Attachment Theory by Baumrind (2001)

2.3     Related Empirical Studies

2.4     Summary of Related Literature

CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHOD                                

3.1     Design of the Study                                                                                

3.2     Area of the Study

3.3.    Population of the Study

3.4     Sample and Sampling Technique

3.5.    Instrument for Data Collection

3.6         Validation of the Instrument

3.7.    Reliability of the Instrument

3.8.    Method of Data Collection

3.9.    Method of Data Analysis

CHAPTER 4

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1        Results Presentation

4.2       Summary of Major Findings

4.3        Discussion of Findings

CHAPTER 5

SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1     Summary

5.2     Conclusion

5.3     Recommendations

5.4     Educational Implication of the Finding

5.5     Limitation of the Study

5.6     Suggestions for Further Study

Reference

Appendix A: Students’ Aggressive Behaviour Identification Scale (Sabis)

Scale

Appendix B: Reliability of the Instruments and Stability of the Instruments

Appendix C: The Population Distribution of the Senior Secondary Schools

LIST OF TABLE

Table 4.1:        Mean Ratings and Standard Deviations of Respondents on the Aggressive Behaviour among Senior Secondary School Students in Abia State

Table 4.2:        Correlation Matrix of Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students in Abia State

Table 4.3:        Linear Regression Analysis of Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students in Abia State

Table 4.4:        Correlation Matrix of Parenting Styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent,        neglecting, over- parenting styles) and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students in Abia State

Table 4.5:        Multiple Regressions on Parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia      State

Table 4.6:        Scheffe test on Relative Contribution of Parenting Styles (Authoritarian, Authoritative, Indulgent, Neglecting, Over- Parenting Styles) in Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students

Table 4.7:        Gender Differences in the Relationship between Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students

Table 4.8:        Linear Regression on Gender Differences in the Relationship between Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students

Table 4.9:        Gender Differences in the Correlation between Parenting Styles (Authoritarian, Authoritative, Indulgent, Neglecting, Over- Parenting Styles) and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students in Abia State

Table 4.10:      Linear Regression on Gender Differences in the Relationship between Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students

Table 4.11:      Location Differences in the Relationship between Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students

Table 4.12:      Linear Regression on the Differences in locality (urban and rural areas) in the Relationship between Peer Group Influence and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students

Table 4.13:      Location Differences in the Correlation between Parenting Styles (Authoritarian, Authoritative, Indulgent, Neglecting, Over- Parenting Styles) and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students in Abia State

Table 4.14:      Linear Regression on Differences in Location in the correlation between Parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and        aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students

Table 4.15:      Scheffe test on Relative Contribution of Location (Urban and Rural Areas) in the Correlation between Parenting Styles (Authoritarian, Authoritative, Indulgent, Neglecting, Over- Parenting Styles) and Aggressive Behaviour of Senior Secondary School Students

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1         BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Aggressive behaviour has been defined by some educational psychologists in various ways. Wood, Wood and Boyd (2014), defined it as the intentional infliction of physical or psychological harm on others. From this definition, it is obvious that for an act to be classified as an aggressive behaviour, the infliction of physical or psychological harm on others has to be intentional. Hence, unintended and accidental infliction of harm on others may not be rightly classified as aggressive behaviour (Ifeagwzi, 2010).        

Aggressive behaviour among secondary school students takes various forms. It can be physical or verbal. Physical aggression refers to inflicting injury on others, while verbal aggression entails using words that are intended to harm another person. Aggressive behaviour among secondary school students sometimes take the form of over reaction, screaming, shouting or becoming very agitated as a result of a very minor setback (Eziyi & Odoemelam, 2008). It also takes the form of quarrelling, insubordination, bullying, revolution, destruction of school property, protest, angry shouts of rebellion and so on.

At times, other terms are used that refer to unobservable internal states such as, ‘angry’ ‘vengeful’ ‘over stimulated’ and ‘poor impulse control’ (Sturmer, 2011). The term “aggression” may be applied to a specific behaviour such as killing. It can mean causing another injury or creating destruction, attacking another, or simply engaging in fighting. It can refer to strong, assertive behaviour (an aggressive lover), to self-imposition or an offensive-besetting manner (an aggressive salesman), or a particular quality or style (an aggressive commercial, an aggressive driving style, an aggressive chess player). It can refer to a disposition (an aggressive personality) or an action. It may be used to refer to a host of emotional and attitudinal states such as anger, hate and hostility. It may be conceived of as a personality trait, a learned habit, peer group influence, a stereotyped reflex, or an underlying biological process (Walsh & Ugumba-Agwunobi, 2012). It may refer to motivation or intention without regard to consequences, or to the consequences (example injury) without regard to motivation. It can be self-assertive, or sado-masochistic. It can be instrumental or ritualistic, playful or spontaneous. It can be benign or malignant, positive or negative. In addition to all these, there is the usual dictionary definition which is concerned mainly with the moral justification or legitimating of an act (Rummel, 2015).

In some disciplines, there is general consensus that ‘aggression’ implies ‘approach behaviour’, as the original Latin word, agreed’ (advancing against) denotes. Aggression according to American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (2018) is a reactionary and impulsive behaviour, which is violent and unpredictable. Myers (2015) defined aggression as any verbal behaviour intended to hurt or destroy, whether done reactively out of hostile or proactively as a calculated means to an end. Welsh & Buboltz (2017) refers to the original meaning of aggression as a tendency to go forward or approach an object. Allen, cited in Carson, Butcher & Mineka, (2016) describes it as the will to ensure and to test our capacity to deal with external forces; which may or may not involve hostility to the vigour with which either constructive or destructive acts are carried out. According to Sturmer (2011), aggression is more likely in persons with one or more of the following: greater degrees of intellectual disability, organic ethology; organic brain damage; temporal lobe epilepsy, sensory disabilities, difficulties in language, poor coping skills, poor problem skills, poor social support, poor religious orientation, peer group influence and poor parenting styles. Some findings suggest that early aggression does not necessarily lead to aggression later on, although the course through early childhood is an important predictor of outcomes in middle childhood. In addition, physical aggression that continues is likely occurring in the context of family adversity, including socio-economic factors (Nwankwo, 2013).

 According to Freud, cited by Ndirika (2016), stressed that the human species have a volcanic potential to erupt in aggression. Freud thought that one harbours not only positive survival instincts but also a self-destructive “death instinct,” which once usually displaces toward others as aggression or release in socially approved activities such as in the arts or sports .The frequency of physical aggression in human beings’ peaks at around (two-three) years of age, and then declines gradually on average (Phelam, 2014). These observations suggest that physical aggression is not only a learned behaviour but that development provides opportunities for the learning and biological development of self-regulation (Nwoke, 2014). However, small subsets of children fail to acquire all the necessary self-regulatory abilities and tend to show typical levels of physical aggression across development. These may be at risk for later violent behaviour or, conversely, lack of Aggression that may be considered necessary within society (Ifeagwzis, 2010).

There are times when even the most docile children appear to have the aggressive tendencies of a professional wrestler. While a certain amount of pushing and shoving is to be expected from all children, especially when they are very young, there are a few for whom aggression becomes a way of coping with almost any situation. These overtly aggressive children are not bullying; they often get into fights with people who are stronger than they are. They face problems not because they are aggressive, but because they become aggressive at times that are inappropriate and in ways that are self-defeating. They routinely argue with teachers and wind up in far more than their share of schoolyard scraps. In some cases, this pattern of easily triggered aggression appears to be rooted in the children’s developing nervous systems. They appear to be physiologically unable to control their impulses as much as other children in their age. For others, it is often a matter of needing to learn and practice social skills (NICHD, 2014).

Aggression is one of the first responses to frustration that a baby learns. Grabbing, biting, hitting, and pushing are especially common before children develop the verbal skills that allow them to talk in a sophisticated way about what they want and how they feel. Children are often rewarded for their aggressive behaviour. The child who acts out in class generally gets the most attention from the teacher. The child who breaks into the line to go down the slide at the playground sometimes gets to use the slide the most. One of the toughest problems parents and teachers face in stopping aggressive behaviour is that in the short term it gets the child exactly what he wants. It’s only after a few years that inappropriately aggressive children must cope with a lack of friends, bad reputations, and the other consequence of their behaviour (Santrock, 2008).

Researchers has discovered six major types of aggression which includes, Hostile aggression that takes place when the aggressor’s primary intension is to harm the victim as a result of anger (Onukwufor, 2012). Instrumental Aggression is aggression that is a means to some other end. Thus, instrumental aggression occurs when there is an intent to injure, but the aggression is mainly a means towards achieving some other non-injurious goals such as to win social approval or to get money. Robbery, kidnapping and terrorism are examples of instrumental aggression (Onukwufor 2012). In emotional aggression harm is inflicted for its own sake. Emotional aggression is often impulsive and it is carried out at the heat of the moment. For example, the jealous lover strikes out in rage, while fans of rival soccer teams go at each other with fists and clubs (Brehm, Kassin & Fein, 2010). Relational aggression is an aspect of indirect aggression. Relational aggression is mainly concerned with targeting a person’s relationships and social status such as threatening to end a friendship, engaging in gossip, backbiting and trying to get others dislike the target (Brehm, Kassin & Fein, 2010).

According to Sameer & Jamia (2011) the behavioural cases related to aggression can be divided into two broad groups namely: Physical and verbal aggression. This postulation is in consonance with Myers definition which sees aggression as “Physical or verbal behaviour intended to hurt someone. Physical aggression is hostile form of aggression. Its aim is to cause bodily damage. It includes kicking, molesting, harassing, biting, pushing, torturing, fighting, bullying, vandalism, destruction and gangsterism, shoving, hair pulling, stabbing, shooting  (National Youth Violence Prevention Research Centre, 2002). Verbal aggression includes acts such as insulting with bad language, displaying anger, threatening, swearing and being sarcastic all in order to cause emotional and psychological pain (Sameer & Jamia, 2011), while National Youth Violence Prevention Research Centre (2012) state that verbal aggression includes such behaviours as threatening, intimidating others and engaging in malicious teasing and name-calling.

For some children, this tendency toward physical aggression and other difficult behaviours appears to be inborn. There’s some evidence that a proportion of these children may be identified as restless foetuses that kick significantly more than other foetuses. Many very aggressive children are noted to be restless infants even before they begin to crawl and walk (NICHD 2014). Aggressive behaviour begins early in life, and in most children reaches a peak around four years of age, declining after that. Often it isn’t until a child starts school that aggressive behaviour becomes apparent. This is because aggressive behaviour is often explained away as age related behaviour, for example ‘the terrible twos’ or gender related, for example, ‘boys will be boys’ or ‘she’ll grow out of it’ (Opara, 2014).

Aggression researchers have increasingly supported the notion of two specific types of aggressive behaviour: proactive and reactive aggression. Reactive aggression is usually fear-based and impulsive in nature (Thompson, 2008). We all remember the child that would cry at the sightless sense of threat or anxiety. In contrast, proactive aggression is a predictor and calculated – such as what you see in some types of bullying behaviours. Kids with high levels of proactive aggression are not necessarily reacting to the perception of threat, but instead may engage in aggression coldly to obtain rewards or impose their will. Studies with both humans and non-human primates have shown that these two types of aggression have distinct physiological profiles. For example, reactive aggressive children have significant higher endocrine responses during a stress task while proactive aggressive children do not (Lopez & Duran, 2008).

Sometimes children do not have the social skills or self-control to manage their behaviour and when they cannot deal with aggressive feelings or are not encouraged to express themselves, they become frustrated. At other times, children cannot cope with growing levels of anger in themselves or in others. In infants, the most common complaint is their crying or biting, both are signs of aggression. Crying is one-way children talk. They let you know when they are happy (coo & babble) or when they need something (cry). We should find out what they need and provide it, whether it is a dry diaper, food, or warm touch (Putallaz & Bierman, 2009).

In toddler, the most aggressive acts occur over toys. To adults it looks like fighting, but to children it’s learning how to get along. They have not learned how to say, “Let’s play.” However, turning the incident into a punishment or control by force will only cause the child to think of ways to strike back. It may help to ask the child to rest from the activity that creates aggression. In pre-schoolers, with loving guidance, parents will see children from two to five years of age decrease their physical aggression as they begin to use words to communicate needs.

However, the factors that could lead to aggression may include peer group influence, parenting styles child’s location and a child’s gender. Gender is a factor that plays a role in both human and animal aggression. Males are historically believed to be generally more physically aggressive than females from an early age, and men commit the vast majority of murders (Buss, 2008). This is one of the most robust and reliable behavioural gender differences, and it has been found across many different age groups and cultures. There is evidence that males are quicker to aggression (Frey, 2013) and more likely than females to express their aggression physically.  Although females are less likely to initiate physical violence, they can express aggression by using a variety of non-physical means. Exactly which method women use to express aggression is something that varies from culture to culture. In eastern Nigeria, the Igbo culture is based on male dominance and physical violence; women tend to get into conflicts with other women more frequently than with men. When in conflict with males, instead of using physical means, they make up songs mocking the man, which spread across the land and humiliate him. If a woman wanted to kill a man, she would either convince her male relatives to kill him or hire an assassin. Although these two methods involve physical violence, both are forms of indirect aggression, since the aggressor herself avoid getting directly involved or putting herself in immediate physical danger (Anichebe, 2010).

Peer group influence could be seen as the influence exerted by peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes, values or behaviour to conform to the group of people who are relatively of the same age and come from same social group such as, school, ethnic, and religion as postulated by Brown (2014). Vigdor (2016), defines peer group as collections of adolescents identified by interests, attitudes, abilities and personal characteristics they have in common.  Peer group according to Burion &Mehta (2013), plays a role in the development of negative outcomes such as poor academic adjustment, social anxiety and so on.  They also stated that research on peer group has demonstrated that the influence of peers’ peaks in middle adolescence and begins a gradual decline in later adolescence. Adolescence is a period in human development characterized by transition from childhood to adulthood. One of the most important transitions occurring during adolescence is the rise of peer group. Peer group influence provides an idea not only for the acquisition and maintenance of friendships, but also for the development of social skills such as good interpersonal relationship, social problem solving such as, lying, stealing, and cheating and so on. Brown (2014) observed that the study of peer group influence in adolescence has shown to be important to the development of adolescents as it open up to the society, the gravity of this peer on the adolescence. It also helps to understand adolescent friendships and their correlates on aggressive behaviour, substance abuse among others, hence, peer group plays major role on adolescent behaviour.  For example, the antisocial peer groups are often seen as the co. relates of aggressive behaviour (Lipsey & Derzon, 2018). The influence of peer group on aggressive behaviour seems to be strong, regardless of ethnic group membership. Many ethnic group comparisons of peer influence on behaviour have found that those with peers’ group, participating in negative behaviour are more likely to engage in this behaviour as well, regardless of ethnicity (Choi, Harachi, Gillmore & Catalano, 2010); Walker Barnes & Mason, 2009). Peer group provide adolescents with the attitudes, motivation that support aggressive behaviour and they provide opportunities to engage in specific delinquent acts (Cashwell & Vacc, 2010). In ways similar to the community, the peer group becomes an agency of enculturation and learning. Even very young children develop a sense of self from their perceptions of important people in their surroundings, including relatives, teachers, and peers. Socioeconomic status, ethnic identity and parents’ occupations affect how families view themselves and the process by which they socialize their children (Bornstein, 2008). Later as children leave the home setting, their self-perception and socializing skills become influenced by how their peer view them. Children move out from family to child-care centres, school, and the community at large, they begin to form attachments, and friendships emerge through their play. These relationships influence behaviour even infants and toddlers are observed reacting to other infants by touching them, by crying when others cry, and later by offering nurturance or comfort. By about age three, early friendships begin to form and children’s peers begin to have a more lasting influence (Berk, 2009). Peer group influence on behaviour gradually becomes more dominant. Harris (2008) & Rowe (2009) maintained that peer groups have an even stronger influence than that of the parents, although that extreme position has been refuted by other researchers (Berk, 2009).  Gradually, children discover that others can share their feelings or attitudes or have quite different ones. The perspectives of others will affect how children feel about their own families. Children usually have a family view of their own and of other cultures. So, when confronted with other perspectives, they often need to rethink their own view points. It is often difficult for children to adjust to the idea that other families can function radically differently from their own and yet hold many of the same attitudes and beliefs and be equally nurturing and secure. The peer group serves as a barometer for children examining themselves and their feelings about self and family.

The peer group also influences development of children socializing skills. These early friendships help children learn how to negotiate and relate to others, including their siblings and other family members. They learn from peers how to cooperate and socialize according to group norms and group sanctioned modes of behaviour. The peer group can influence what the child values, knows, wears, eats, and learns. The extent of this influence, however, depends on other situational constraints, such as the age and personality of student and the nature of the group (Sirai, 2010). Socialization is very important for children with disabilities, and it is the reason many programmes include peer group who are typically developing in special education programmes or include children with disabilities in general. It has been observed that there is a strong correlation between peer group and parenting style on aggressive behaviours of adolescent (Ifeagwzi, 2010). Locality seems to account for the disparity in urban and rural children’s aggressiveness. Robert, Skipper and James (2016) investigated differential rates of rural urban aggressive. Official studies indicate that rural areas generate lower rates of aggressiveness than do urban area.

Adolescence is a period of transition from childhood to adulthood. It is a period that the child encounters numerous problems from all areas of his growth and development such as physical, mental, social, psychological, cultural and spiritual growth problems. Such is the difficulties that confront the emerging child into adulthood that some psychologists that describes it as a period of “storms and stress”. This period varies from society to society as a result of cultural variations and level of modernization. Generally, adolescents’ period commences between ages of 11 or 12 years to 18 or 21 years. Girls begin transition earlier than boys, about 11 - 12 years. Boys start between 12 -14 years. It is a fact to reckon with that the youngest mother in the world was 9 years old and in America, a 10-year-old was able to deliver her baby, normally without surgical intervention (Abdullahi, 2010).

The influence of parenting styles at adolescents‟ stage is very crucial. This is because parents play tremendous roles in adolescents‟ transition to adulthood as well as moderating the aggressive behaviour of the adolescents. The family unit is considered as one of the most influential components of a child’s behaviour due to the fact that the family is the first source of internal education for a child (Sumari, Hussein, & Siraj, 2010). More specifically, parenting styles, discipline techniques, involvement with their children and the home environment have been shown to attract a child’s ability to proper adjustment in life.

Training is a central focal point for society due to the idea that ensuring an education for adolescents helps promote a more successful future, hence reduces aggressiveness among students; parental behaviour negatively affects adolescents’ behaviour. Parenting Styles involves combination of acceptance and responsiveness on one hand and to demand control on the other. Baumrind (2011) defined Parenting style as a psychological construct representing standard strategy that parents use in their children.

Parenting can be viewed as an occupation which may need a lot of skill and works in order to influence a child’s behaviour positively. Parents are considered as the primary shapers of their children’s behaviours including aggressive behaviour. They tend to have great influence over their wards behaviours and when considering parenting styles in relation to behaviour, studies have shown relationship between parenting styles and adolescent behaviour.

Studies have shown that associating with deviant peers has been linked to earlier initiation of aggressiveness (Rowe, 2009; Whitbeck et al, 2009). Furthermore, one of the strongest predictors of delinquent behaviour in adolescence is affiliation with delinquent peers, an association that has been attributed to peer socialization (Dishion, Bullock & Growe 2009). The implication is that poor parent-child relationships may therefore enhance susceptibility to peer-group influence or increase the propensity of associating with deviant friends (Whitbeck, Conger & Ilao 2010).

Parenting style has been defined by (Baumrund, 2011), as the control which parents exercise over their children. Baumrund identified types of parenting styles as authoritarian, authoritative, neglecting parenting, indulgent and over-parenting. In her view, parenting is a complicated occupation which requires variety of skills that work in concert to influence the behaviour of the child (Ann, & Goh, 2011). No wonder it is used to capture normal variations in parents’ attempts to control and socialize their children as well as to influence, teach and control their children. It is therefore evident that parenting style could enhance or diminish acceptable behavioural outcomes in children (Weiss & Schwartz 2008). Although other studies found no clear relationship between parenting style and child psychopathology (Havill,  Olafsson, 2010; Revie-Petterson, 2008), because of some moderator or moderating variables such as age, socio-economic status, temperament, gender, family structure and the child’s perception of the parenting style (Beyers & Goossens, 2013;  & Bystrotsky, 2008).

An authoritarian parent tend to have the final decision in the home, usually they are demanding and directive. Though they ordered environment with rules clearly stated, they are strict and as a result adolescent from such homes are often afraid of their parents and this tends to influence their decisions. Sternberg (2008) opined that boys from such homes tend to be violent while the girls cannot withstand pressure from the opposite sex and thus engage in antisocial behaviours such as alcohol, drug abuse, promiscuity and aggressive behaviour. The reason being that, this parenting style adheres strictly to the use of authority, punishment and do not expect the children to express disagreements with their rules but to obey without explanation (Havill, Olafsson, 2010). On the other hand, the authoritative style gives the adolescent a free hand to regulate their behaviour. They succumb to the child, giving few rules and avoiding confrontation, as a result the adolescent lacks initiative and discipline and expects everything to be done for them. Although, the parent here expects maturity from the child, by maintaining their position and respecting the child’s opinion which in turn gives the child freedom of speech (Martin & Colbert, 2008). Adolescents from such homes view sex as an expression of mature love. Hence, authoritative parenting style is a flexible, democratic style of parenting in which warm, accepting parenting provide guidance and control while allowing the child to decide how best to meet the challenges and obligations. The authoritative parenting style falls in-between the authoritarian and permissive parenting style. According to Templar (2008), children have to learn to plan their own lives and that means learning the consequences of making the wrong decisions too.

The indulgent parents tend not to interfere with the child’s independence; thus, demands little obedience and respect for authority. On the contrary the involved parent is much as the worst because there are no rules and no guidance towards the direction of the child’s behaviour. The adolescent is entirely on his/her own and may depend on their peers for social and emotional development.

Parenting style no doubt has been found to predict child well-being arising from the conclusion that adolescents of autocratic parents tend to lack social competence in dealing with other people and tend to withdraw from social contact, they hardly use their initiative rather they depend on authorities to decide what is correct because they are used to adhering strictly to rules without being allowed to express their own opinion.

Conversely, children of democratic parents have more self-control, while those from indulgent parents exhibit immature behaviour and have difficulty accepting responsibility for their own actions. And of course, adolescent’s forum involved parents are totally dependent and cannot determine right from wrong behaviour. Such adolescents no doubt will fall prey to their peers. Parent’s approval of aggressiveness appears to be related to adolescent’s aggressive behaviour. This was evident in a study by Dittus &Jaccard (2008) which revealed that out of 10,000 adolescents studied, adolescents who were most satisfied with the relationship they had with their mothers and who perceived their mothers attitude as disapproving of aggression were less likely to initiate early aggressive activity, and that the more satisfied the adolescents were with their relationship with their parents the more likely it was that they had used drugs. Similarly, in another study, Maguen & Aronstead (2008) concluded among 568 adolescents where girls showed similar relationship between parents’ approval and adolescent aggressive behaviour because the adolescents tend to delay the onset of maladjustment behaviour when they perceived their parents’ attitude about drug as restrictive.  Consequently, adolescents from good home may have good home training and may not likely to be engage in aggressive behaviour. Aggression is also a term that is widely and loosely used to refer to any or all of the following acts: physical assaults on peers, verbal threats and hostile statements; threatening gestures; tantrums; and property destruction.

Democratic style is more directly related to children’s psychosocial and behavioural adjustment than the other parenting styles (Beyes & Goossens, 2009). Adolescents from autocratic homes do not usually present behavioural problems (Weiss & Schwarz, 2008), although when discipline becomes too rigid, the probability of the adolescent engaging in antisocial behaviours becomes higher (Gerard & Buchler, Loeber. 2009). On the other hand, adolescents with uninvolved parents are less socially competent and present adjustment problems in all domains.

Neglecting parenting style is in otherwise known as uninvolved or rejecting parenting style. The parents are often emotional or at time physically absent from their children. With these therefore, one would agree with Echebe (2010), that the entire child’s characteristic behaviour and personality adjustment are seen as the direct product of parental characteristics. This implies that the parental characteristic to a large extent affects the future life of the child with the parents as the supporting pillars on which the child and the entire family rests. This of course provide basic necessary requirement for the character formation of their children such as anxiety, motivation, hope, self-esteem, coping strategies. Here, it is also the parent who sets the standard on which the child operates. While in over-parenting, parents tend to involve themselves in every aspect of their child’s life, often attempting to solve all problems and stiffing the child’s ability to act independently or solve his/her problems (Baumrund, 2011).

Some researchers point out that adolescents from indulgent or Laissez-faire homes do not interiorize norms and social rules adequately therefore is likely involved in antisocial behaviour (Miller, 2013). Others are of the opinion that these adolescents show a social and behavioural adjustment as good as those from authoritative homes (Wolfradt, Hempel & Miles, 2008). It is therefore possible that the specific culture where the various researches were conducted could be responsible.

According to the data from Federal Ministry of Education (2011, 2013), a total of 6,580 (68%) secondary school students were involved in 2,996 violence incidents in the 257 public secondary schools in Nigeria. The report showed that occasional harm was (63%), bullying/threatening/interference (21%), gossiping/nicknaming (15%). In another study (Obi & Obikeze, 2013), observed that the act of getting involved in at least one physical fight was 27% among boys and 27% among girls in South-East, Nigeria. While previous studies tend to indicate that there is no gender difference in aggressive behaviour as manifested by both boys and girls, recent ones tend to present a differing view, hence knowing that boys present more aggressive behaviours and engage in fighting, stealing, bullying and other criminal activities than the girls whose aggressive behaviours are more like verbal (Nwoke, 2014).  Society has seen an increase in the incidents of aggression/violence among youth.

However, developing countries today have a large urban population than the developed countries. Almost all the developing countries that have been concerned with the size and growth of urban population are constituted with serious problem, in most developing countries rural to urban migration puts even greater strains on cities such as youth restiveness, cultism, juvenile delinquency, sexual harassment by fellow students in the schools which has resulted in bullying and aggressive behaviour of the students thereby destroying the student’s effort towards achieving the basic objective of secondary education; this development has persisted despite the different types of parenting styles intervention implored (Adebayo, 2014).

A tremendous rise in urban population in the developing countries has often been the major source of both social, economic problem and high aggression and increase in crime rate (Albert, 2014).

In Africa  most of the urban population are unstable and there are increasing aggressiveness and high crime rate as a result of high unemployment rate, uncontrolled and uncontrollable addiction, rape, fighting, and so on (Adebayo, 2014). It is pertinent to point out that the social behaviour in adolescents is very crucial because it helps the adolescents to learn right and wrong in a particular society. Thompson (2008) postulated that adolescents acquire a sense of right and wrong partly through parenting styles as well as in everyday conversation with parents, who convey simple lessons about people’s feelings, the consequences of breaking rules and what it takes to be a good boy or a good girl. Discipline is very important when given by parents to their children; discipline is aimed at the total development of adolescents to become responsible people in the society. Onyechi &  Okere (2009) stated that, adolescence stage requires parental love, care, warmth. Generally, the social behaviour of the adolescents depends on the style of parenting. Utti (2010) observed that parenting is a major vehicle in socializing the child. Parenting as defined by Harvard (2010) as the family involvement process that consists of parent’s attitude, value and practices in raising youths. Adolescents have some certain characteristics regarding their social behaviour. Steinberg (2008) reported that the adolescents experience some changes that have to do with self-consciousness and thinking of the person they want to be. Adolescents involve themselves in so many negative activities such as association with bad peer group, lack of respect for elders, drug abuse. In the long run if adolescents are not handled well or if appropriate parenting style is not applied to checkmate them it may lead to behavioural failure, uncontrolled and uncontrollable addiction and aggressive behaviour; for females it may to maladjustment such as envy, lust for sex and addiction, gossiping, anger and prostitution.

Strong gender differences in aggression have been found in virtually every culture that has been studied worldwide; about 99% of rape is committed by men as are about 90% of robberies, assaults and murders (Graham & Wells, 2009). Among children boys show higher rates of physical aggression than girls do (Loeber & Hay, 2009), and even infants differ, such that infant boys tend to show more anger and poorer emotional regulation in comparison to infant girls.

Although these gender differences exist, they do not mean that men and women are completely different, or that women are never aggressive. Both men and women respond to insults and provocation with aggressiveness. In fact, difference between men and women are smaller after they have been frustrated, insulted or threatened (Bettencourt & Miller, 2008). And men and women are seen to use similar amount of verbal aggression (Graham & Well, 2009). To the researcher’s knowledge, in the last decade, no study correlating the set of peer group influence and parenting styles variables in this study has been carried out among secondary school adolescents in Umuahia education zones of Abia state, which is the domain of this research. It is against this background that the researcher was motivated to carry out study on peer group influence and parenting styles as correlates of aggressive behaviour among secondary school students in Abia State, Nigeria.

1.2       STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM        

Secondary school is a post primary education system that trains the student for useful living and as such imbibes into the children or students the ethics of discipline to enable them survive in the society. The students’ upbringing, peer group influence and locality are supposed to shape the students’ discipline towards acquiring the basic ethics to ensure they are trained well for useful living in the society. This is because the parental styles and peer group influence and locality will help to build the child into modesty or appropriate adjustment.

Also, researchers differ with regard to conclusion about gender differences in peer group influence and parenting styles on aggressive behaviour; with the majority seeming to infer that male have higher levels of aggressive behaviour than female. Aggressive behaviour seems to be experienced by many as of male students, especially the senior students in Abia State Nigeria and seem to at least be partly responsible for recent development of youth restiveness, cultism, juvenile delinquency, sexual harassment by fellow students in the schools. This May likely result in bullying and aggressive behaviour of the students thereby destroying the student’s effort towards achieving the basic objective of secondary education. This development has persisted despite the different types of parenting styles intervention implored.

Aside this, a closer examination of existing studies specifies the fact that aggressive behaviour among secondary school students from developed nation could be accessed while the same could not be said of students in developing countries especially among senior secondary school students in Abia State. Since the existing studies on peer group influence and parenting styles in aggressive behaviour showed a wide variation from country to country there is the need to establish the range and percentage of how locality could correlate/contribute to aggressive behaviour in Abia State as well as the influence of gender. This will add to existing literature and knowledge in this area. It is against this backdrop that the study examined peer group influence and parenting style as correlates of aggressive behaviour of Senior Secondary School students in Abia State Nigeria.

1.3.      PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

The purpose of the study was to determine peer group influence and parenting styles as correlates of aggressive behaviour among secondary school students in Abia State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to: 

1.       Determine the prevalent of aggressive behaviours among senior secondary school students in Abia State. 

2.       Determine the relationship between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State.

3.       Establish the relationship, parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State.

4.       Determine the relationship between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia state based on gender

5.       Find out the relationship between parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State based on gender.

6.       Determine the relationship between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia state based on locality (urban and rural areas).

7.       Find out the relationship between parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State based on locality (urban and rural areas).

1.4.      SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study has several dimensions of benefit, not only to adolescents, but also to parents, teachers, psychologist, counsellors, researchers, school administrators, and public at large.

The findings of the study, can help the parents or guardians gain insight and understand the importance of discharging their family responsibilities towards the upbringing of their children. It can inform the parents about the appropriate parenting styles to handle, in different situations, in terms of adolescent school adjustment.

Secondary school adolescents’ can be ignited and inspired by the knowledge from this study. It will help them understand their emotions and way to carry themselves, which will help them develop positive adjustment.

Psychologists can also acquire abundant wealth of knowledge from this study, in the sense that it can give them insight on why adolescents behave the way they do, the type of family they come from, and how to help them adjust in school.

Teachers and school counsellors will also find the results of the study useful. As students learn by observation and initiation, the result will help the teachers know what is expected of them as the role model. It will help them know the type of behaviour; they will showcase which will be favourable for students’ adjustment.

Furthermore, school counsellors will gain more insight on relevance of adjustment to adolescents’ personalities and stand in a better position to know the appropriate techniques and procedures towards solving adjustment problems in school situation.

The finding from this study can go a long way in helping government formulate policies towards child rearing practices. The result will boost their efforts in the sphere of adult education and public enlightenment campaign which will enlighten the parents on the importance of appropriate parenting.

Future researchers will also share in the numerous benefits of this study, as the information and recommendation will be a source of research material or empirical data for them when published.

Lastly, experience has shown that disciplined students learn faster and perform better academically than undisciplined students. The finding of this study will go a long way to help the school administrators, know the type of disciplinary method and measures to be used in correcting maladjusted behaviours of adolescent, as to produce students who can perform better academically and contribute meaningfully towards the development

1.5       RESEARCH QUESTIONS

The following research questions were raised to guide the study:

1.       Which aggressive behaviour is prevalent among senior secondary school students in Abia State?

2.       What is the relationship between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State?

3.       To what extent do parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) correlate with aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State.

4.       What are the gender differences in the relationship between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia state?

5.       To what extent do gender differences exist in the correlation between parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State?

6.       To what extent do differences in location (urban and rural areas) exist in the relationship between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior     secondary school students in Abia state?

7.       To what extent does location (urban and rural areas) create differences in the correlation between parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over-           parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia            State? 

1.6       HYPOTHESES

The following null hypotheses formulated guided the study and they were tested at 0.05 level of significance:

H0₁:  There is no significant relationship between peer group influence and aggressive       behaviour of senior             secondary school students in Abia State.

HO₂: Parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting,    over-parenting             styles) do not have significant correlation with aggressive behaviour of senior             secondary school students in Abia State.

HO₃: There is no significant gender differences in the relationship between peer group      influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia state.

HO₄: Gender is not a significant factor in the correlation between parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting            styles)and        aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State.

HO₅: Differences in location (urban   and rural areas) are no significant factor in the           relationship between peer group influence and aggressive   behaviour of senior     secondary school students in Abia state.

HO₆: Location (urban and rural areas) is not a significant factor in the correlation between            Parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over-        parenting         styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in Abia State. 

1.7.      SCOPE OF THE STUDY

The research was delimited to senior students in public secondary schools in Umuahia metropolis, Abia State. It is assumed that the aggressive behaviours are common among senior secondary students. In some of the secondary schools, there may be few S.S.S. II students who are little above 19 years of age. Obviously, the senior secondary school students are made up of teenagers or adolescents. Emphasis was basically on this because it is assumed that adolescents are found at this higher level of secondary school. In this case, the research was limited to adolescents male and female students within the age range of 15-19 years. The study was delimited to SS1 and SS2 students in 2017/2018 academic session of the education zone. The study specifically focused on determining the prevalent of aggressive behaviours among senior secondary school students and determining the relationship between peer group influence and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students as well as the relationship between parenting styles (authoritarian, authoritative, indulgent, neglecting, over- parenting styles) and aggressive behaviour of senior secondary school students in     Abia State. Gender and location are the moderator variables.

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