Journal of Psychiatry

Peer victimization in Nigerian secondary schools: Associations with trajectories of psychosocial wellbeing, mental distress and social maladjustments

27^th International Conference on PSYCHIATRY & PSYCHOLOGY HEALTH

June 18-19, 2018 Paris, France

Akpunne Bede Chinonye

Redeemer�??s University, Nigeria

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Psychiatry

Abstract:

Statement of Problem: Peer victimization (PV) has increasingly been recognized as an important problem in schools across the globe. High prevalence rates of PV among school adolescents are reported in literature. Risk factors of PV include increased psychological distress, social maladjustment and other internalizing problems. There is a dearth of literature on influence of PV on psychosocial wellbeing, psychological distress and adjustment patterns of school children in Nigeria. The purpose of this study is to explore the prevalence of PV and describe its influence on psychosocial wellbeing, psychological distress and social maladjustment among Nigerian secondary school students. Method & Theoretical Orientation: Cross sectional survey design, involving a purposive sampling technique was utilized to select 400 participants (Mean age =14.95) from four secondary schools. Multidimensional peer victimization scale (MPVS), social maladjustment scale (SMS), mental health continuum-short form (MHS-SF) and general health questionnaire (GHQ-12) were used for data collection. The associative learning theory was focused to observe the impact of PV on internalized behaviour of school children. Findings: Reported prevalence of peer victimization is 64.81%. Significant positive correlation exists between verbal victimization (VV), social manipulation (SM), multidimensional peer victimization (MPVS) and social maladjustment. Significant positive correlation also exists between VV and psychological distress. Gender significantly influenced physical victimization (PV), psychosocial wellbeing and SMS. There is no significant difference in the sub-scales of psychosocial wellbeing (PSWB) based on the MPVS. MPVS subscales jointly predicted psychological wellbeing (PWB), emotional wellbeing (EWB), social wellbeing (SWB), psychological distress and SMS. Conclusion & Significance: There is a high prevalence of peer victimization in Nigerian secondary schools which portend high level of psychological distress and social maladjustment. School based psychotherapies and relevant clinical interventions are recommended.