Psycho-social challenges and adjustment strategies of bullied in-school adolescents in Kwara state, Nigeria

Abstract

Bullying in schools is a serious societal problem that has become a major source of worry for educators. Bullying behaviours were repeatedly exposed to in-school adolescents, causing them to develop psychological and social problems. Thus, the study investigated the psycho-social challenges and adjustment strategies of bullied in-school adolescents in Kwara State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The population of this study comprised all bullied in-school adolescents in Kwara State, Nigeria estimated to be 29,107 while a sample of 400 bullied secondary school students selected from the three Senatorial Districts in the state participated in the study. The sample was selected using proportionate, stratified and snowball sampling techniques. Two questionnaires titled “Psycho-Social Challenges of Bullied Questionnaire” and “Adjustment Strategies of Bullied Questionnaire” were used to collect data for the study. They were content validated and tested with a reliability coefficient of 0.73 and 0.82 respectively. The percentage was used for demographic data, and mean and rank order analysis was used for research questions. The findings revealed that bullied in-school adolescents experience all the psychosocial challenges identified in the study. These include low self-esteem, frequent feeling of embarrassment among their peer, and fighting with classmates among others. It was also revealed that bullied in-school adolescents employed aggressive, social, helpless and cognitive adjustment strategies in the stated order. The study recommended the need for school counsellors to develop intervention strategies to help bullied adolescents overcome the psycho-social challenges they are currently experiencing. School counsellors need to identify bullied in-school adolescents and expose them to effective adjustment strategies. Anti-Bullying policies must be developed and mainstream into the schools' systems of operation