ABSTRACT
The study
examines the influence of peer group pressure on adolescent smoking habits in
some selected secondary schools in Lagos metropolis Influence of peer group
pressure on adolescent smoking habits has more than ever before being posing
serious threat to adolescent health. As such, government, parents and the
society have seen the need to find a lasting solution to curbing the menace of
smoking among adolescents.
The study has the
following major objectives; to examine the effects of peer group pressure on
adolescent smoking habits; to analyze the negative effects of smoking on
adolescent’s health; and to examine the counter-measures and their potency to
smoking among adolescents.
The study utilizes data from both
primary and secondary sources. For the primary data, a questionnaire field
survey was employed. The source of the secondary data includes textbooks,
periodicals and internet materials.
The study brings out some salient findings. One, smoking is a
behavior that is not only fostered by environments in which peers and family
members smoke but also by large scale media campaigns advertising tobacco
products. Two, peer pressure is not always negative. In fact, there is more of
positive peer influence than negative. Three, adolescent that smoke do so for
fear of been rejected by his peer group. The study revealed that parents,
society and the government amongst others are doing all possible to stop
adolescents from smoking. By so doing, it is felt that they will be more useful
to themselves and the society.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgment iv
Abstract v
Table of contents vi
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction 1
1.1 Background to the study 2
1.2 Statement of problem 7
1.3 Significance of the Study 8
1.4 Purpose of study 9
1.5 Objective of the Study 10
1.6 Research questions 10
1.7 Research hypotheses 11
1.8 Definitions of terms 12
1.9 Limitations 13
CHAPTER TWO
2.1 Concept of peer and peer pressure 14
2.2 Concept of adolescent and smoking habits 15
2.3 Causes of peer pressure 17
2.4 Types of peer pressure 19
2.5 Why do adolescents smoke 23
2.6 Health effects of adolescent smoking habit 27
2.7 Preventing adolescent smoking habit 28
CHAPTER THREE
3.0 Methodology 34
3.1 Design of the study 34
3.2 Area of the study 35
3.3 Population 35
3.4 Sample and sampling techniques 35
3.5 Instrumentation 35
3.6 Administration 36
3.7 Procedure for data analysis 36
CHAPTER FOUR
4.0 Data Analyses and Interpretation 37
4.1 Table analysis of personal data 37
4.2 Table of sex distribution 37
4.3 Data analysis of table 3 38
4.4 Data analysis of table 4 39
4.5 Data analysis of table 5 40
4.6 Data analysis of table 6 41
4.7 Data analysis of table 7 42
4.8 Data analysis of table 8 43
4.9 Data analysis of table 9 44
4.10 Data
analyses of table 10 45
CHAPTER FIVE
5.0 Discussion of findings Summary, Conclusion
and 46
Recommendations
5.1 Discussion of Findings 46
5.2 Summary 47
5.3 Conclusion 49
5.4 Recommendations 49
References
Questionnaire
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
This research work critically examined the
influence of peer-pressure on adolescents’ smoking habits in selected schools
in Lagos metropolis, Nigeria.
In young people, youth peer-pressure is one of
the most frequently referred to forms of peer-pressure. It is particularly
common because most youth spend large amounts of time in fixed groups (schools
and subgroups within them) regardless of their opinion of those groups. In
addition to this, they may lack the maturity to handle pressure from ‘friends’.
Also, young people are more willing to behave
negatively towards those who are not members of their own groups. However,
youth peer pressure can also have positive effects.
For example, if one is involved with a group
of people that are ambitious and working to succeed, one might feel pressured
to follow suit to avoid feeling excluded from the group.
Teenagers feel like they need to be in the
same group to be ‘cool’ or “in”. Therefore, the youth would be pressured into
improving themselves, thus, having a better future. This is most commonly seen
in youth that are active in sports or other co-curricular activities where
conformity with one’s peer group is strongest.
Peer groups are a
normal, necessary and healthy part of adolescent development. As teenagers are
struggling to develop a personal identity and become less dependent on parents,
peer groups provide the security of a ‘’safety net’’. Peer groups provide an
opportunity for teenagers to interact with equals.
Their friends
give teen’s companionship, emotional support, and a sense of belonging. Peer
information, and practice social skills. Teens learn that they aren’t alone in
feeling scared and insecure, and that others have problems too.
Peer
relationships can be a powerful positive influence on the lives of adolescents.
Natural observations of adolescents indicate that most adolescents discuss
options with their friends before reaching a consensus about what to do.
Rarely is one
adolescent pressured to conform to the rest of the group. Moreover, secondary
school students in several large samples reported that their friends discouraged
drug and alcohol use, delinquent activities, and other types of antisocial
behaviour more than they encourage them; they also claimed their friends
encouraged studying for school subjects more than they discouraged it.
Some adolescents even display anti conformity,
rejecting their peer’s judgement, and making different decisions altogether.
Friendships inherently limit the use and effectiveness of coercive pressure
because they are relationships based on equality and mutual respect;
consequentially, decisions are made by negotiation, not domination.
Adolescents
choose friends who have characteristics or talents that they admire, which
motivate them to achieve and act as their friends acts. Friends encourage
adolescents to study hard at school and can also help them think more
creatively.
High-achieving
peers have positive effects on adolescents’ satisfaction with school,
educational expectations, report card grades, and standardised achievement test
scores.
Students with
friends who like school, get good grades, and are interested in school. Also
they are more likely to finish secondary school. Hence, having friends who
believe that academic achievement is important is beneficial for adolescents.
Peer influences
can also be very negative. Unhealthy, destructive peer groups can cause much
pain and suffering for both parents and teenagers. Teens whose friends are
involved in risky behaviours, illegal activities or experimenting with drugs,
may easily be persuaded to join in.
Parents may
dislike their teenagers’ friends, and possibly for good reasons, but it is
impossible to force teens to choose healthy friends. Most often, when teens are
forced to choose between their parents or their peer group, they choose their
friends.
The successful
formation and navigation of interpersonal relationships with peers is a process central to
adolescent development in all cultures.
In European –
American cultural context and ever including amount of each day is spent under
of peer pressure, from 10 percent as early as two years of age to forty percent
between the ages of seven and eleven.
By secondary
school level teenagers are spending more than half of their time in the company
of their peers (Updegraff, Mchale, Crouter and Kupanof, 2001).
Because
adolescents spend a large amount of their time with peers, it is not surprising
that they play a highly influential role in adolescents’ lives. The
credibility, authority, power, and influence of peers are greater during
adolescence than at any other time in life (Cooper, 1994).
Although the
process of socialization and individuation occurs in all cultures, the
developmental time frame, goals, and practices are often unique.
In the United States, the adolescents’
developmental path is characterized by a transfer in closeness from parents to
peers. In comparison with the emphasis placed by European – American cultures
on individualism, other cultures, Asian and African cultures in particular,
accentuate the socialization of ‘’interdependence, self-control, social
inhibition, and compliance’’. For example, the peer like mutuality with which
adolescents negotiate with their parents during their high school years is a
uniquely European – American construct (Chen, Greenberger, Lester, Dong, and
Guo, 1998).
Adolescence is a
time when peers play an increasingly important role in the lives of youth.
Teens begin to develop friendships that are more intimate, exclusive, and more
constant than in earlier years. In many ways, these friendships are an essential
component of development.
They provide safe
venues where youths can explore their identities where they can feel accepted
and where they can develop a sense of belongingness. Friendship also allow
youth to practice and foster social skills necessary for future success.
Nonetheless,
parents and other adults can become concerned when they see their teens
becoming preoccupied with their friends.
Many parents
worry that their teens will fall under peer influence or reject their families’
values and beliefs as well as are pressured to engage in high-risks and other
negative behaviours.
In reality, peer
influence is very complex. First, peer influence can be both positive and
negative. While we tend to think that peer influence leads teens to engage in
unhealthy and unsafe behaviours, it can actually motivate youth to study harder
in school, volunteer for community and social services, and participate in
sports and other productive endeavours.
In fact, most
teens report that their peers pressure them not to engage in drug use and
sexual activity.
Second, peer
influence is not a simple process where youth are passive recipients of
influence from others. In fact, peers who become friends tend to already have a
lot of things in common. Peers with similar interests, similar academic
standing, and enjoy doing the same things tend to gravitate towards each other.
So while it seems that teens and their friends
become very similar to each other through peer influence, much of that
similarity was present to begin with.
1.2 STATEMENT
OF THE PROBLEM
The influence of
peer group pressure on adolescents smoking habit is gaining momentum and
skyrocketing as each day passes by and there is urgent need to curtail this
issue before it gets out of hands and make the future leaders of tomorrow’s
dreams, vision and potentials short lived (Akinsanya, 2010).
There is a lot of
issue about the negative influence of “peer pressure” on teenagers these days.
People also often forget that peer pressure can apply to all age groups, and
that peer influence can also be positive.
The old saying ‘birds of the same feather or
of a feather flock together is true because if you are not like your peers,
then your peers will be like you and also the peers you hang up with eventually
will make you think and act like them or vice versa.
Negative peer
pressure can make teens do many different things. They can be pressured into
shoplifting ,robbery, drinking, smoking and drugs addiction such as cocaine,
marijuana, e.t.c, illicit sex that can lead to unwanted pregnancy, abortion,
HIV/AIDS e.t.c, that can mar their dreams, vision , talents and potentials.
These adolescents are the future leaders of tomorrow.
This research
work has come to the lime light due to the above mentioned problems with aim of
examining the impact of peer pressure on adolescents smoking habits and
proffering necessary solutions to remedy the situation.
1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
There cannot be a better time to work on this
research topic “the critical impact of peer group pressure on adolescents
smoking habits” than now especially when the smoking rate among adolescents and
other undesirable behavioural attitude is skyrocketing among our youths these
days.
This study would be of great importance to
adolescents and youths, students, parents, teachers, Counsellors, Government
and the entire nation at large.
The information contained herein would help
all stake holders, especially parents and counsellors to help monitor and help
their children and wards from being a victim of peer pressure on adolescents
smoking habits.
The study would also be of great benefits to
teachers and individuals that are role models and mentors to adolescents and
youths.
Finally, the study would enlighten the
teachers on how to handle peer group pressure among adolescents and also the
smoking habit among these adolescents and other adolescents’ behaviour caused
by peer group pressure.
1.4 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
Generally, the research intend to carry a
survey on the influence of peer group pressure on adolescent smoking habit in
selected secondary schools in Lagos metropolis. In specific terms, the purpose
of this study is to:
1.
Examine whether there will be any influence of peer group pressure
on adolescents smoking habit.
2.
Examine whether there will be any societal influence on
adolescents smoking habit.
3.
Examine whether there will be any influence of government on
adolescent smoking habit.
4.
Examine whether there will be any influence of school in adolescent
smoking habit.
1.5 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The
objectives of the study are:
1.
To examine the effects of peer group pressure on adolescent
smoking habits.
2.
To analyze the negative effects of smoking on adolescent’s health.
3.
To examine the counter-measures and their potency to smoking among adolescents.
1.6 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
For the purpose
of this research work, emphasis would be laid on the research topic: the
influence of peer group pressure on adolescents smoking habits.
Also, answers with in-depth explanations would
be provided to the following research questions below:
1.
Will there be any influence of peer group pressure on adolescents’
smoking habit?
2.
Will there be any societal influence on adolescents’ smoking habit?
3.
Will there be any influence of government on adolescents’ smoking
habit?
4.
Will there be any influence of school on adolescents’ smoking
habit?
1.7 RESEARCH
HYPOTHESES
To ensure a more detailed and result
oriented research, hypotheses are formulated and tested on the research
objectives.
The decision criteria is to accept the null hypothesis (Ho) and
reject the alternative hypothesis (H1) or otherwise based on the result of the
test carried out.
The hypotheses are stated below:
1.
There will be no significant relationship between peer group
pressure on adolescent smoking habit.
2.
There will be no significant relationship between school system
and adolescent smoking habit.
3.
There will be no significant relationship between government
policy and adolescent smoking habit.
4.
There will be no significant relationship between parental
lifestyle and adolescent smoking habit.
1.8 LIMITATIONS
The population of this study will be all
secondary schools in Lagos metropolis and samples were limited to members of
Senior Secondary School (SS2). The result obtained from this study would not be
generalised to all schools in Nigeria.
1.9 DEFINITION OF MAJOR TERMS
Peer group:
A peer group is a
social group of humans. Peer groups are an informal primary group of people who
share a similar or equal status and who are usually of roughly the same age and
interact within the social aggregate.
Peer- Pressure:
Peer pressure refers to the influence
exerted by a peer group in encouraging a person to change his or her attitudes,
values, or behavior in order to conform to group norms.
It can equally be described as
instances where an individual feels indirectly pressured into changing their
behavior to match that of their peers. Taking up smoking is one of the best
known examples.
Adolescent:
Adolescent will
be seen as a young person developing from a child into an adult i.e. persons
between the ages of 13 and 18.
Smoking:
Smoking is
defined as the practice where cigarettes or tobacco is burned and the vapors
either tasted or inhaled.
Habit:
Habit is defined
as a thing that one does often and almost without thinking, especially
something that is hard to stop doing.
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