Overcrowding, Sleep Depravation, and Infectious Diseases as Risk Factors for Aggressive and Antisocial behaviour in Nigerian Adolescents
Makinde, Olusegun (2021-10-15)
Makinde, Olusegun
Åbo Akademi University
15.10.2021
Julkaisu on tekijänoikeussäännösten alainen. Teosta voi lukea ja tulostaa henkilökohtaista käyttöä varten. Käyttö kaupallisiin tarkoituksiin on kielletty.
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-12-4093-5
https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-12-4093-5
Tiivistelmä
The studies in the current thesis investigated the relationships between overcrowding, domestic aggression, and antisocial behaviour in adolescents in Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria (Study 1); domestic aggression and negativity in the home as mediators between overcrowding and antisocial behaviour in the same sample (Study 2); whether there were associations between how much adolescents slept per night and how much aggressive and antisocial behaviour they displayed and were exposed to, in the same sample (Study 3); and whether there is an association between the contraction of infectious diseases and peer aggression in a school context, in another sample of adolescents in Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria (Study 4).
Study 1: The objective was to investigate the relationships between overcrowding, domestic aggression, and antisocial behaviour in a sample of adolescents in Lagos metropolitan area, Nigeria. Possible sex differences and differences due to religious affiliation concerning domestic violence and antisocial behaviour were also investigated. A questionnaire was filled in by 238 Nigerian adolescents, 12–20 years of age; the sample included 122 females (Mage = 15.1 years, SD = 2.0) and 116 males (Mage = 15.8 years, SD = 2.0). The respondents were from junior and senior secondary schools in Ejigbo and surrounding cities (Isolo, Egbe, and Ago-Palace Lagos). Six scales were included: adolescents as victimsof adult and sibling aggression, respectively, witnessing of domestic violence, parental negativity towards adolescents, antisocial behaviour among adolescents, and poverty in the home. Overcrowding, sex and religious affiliationserved as independent variables. According to a multivariate analysis of variance with level of poverty as covariate, overcrowding showed significant associations with four of five scales measuring aggressive and antisocial behaviours. Sex and religion were associated with three variables each. However, multiple regression analyses revealed that overcrowding tended to partial out the effects of both sex and religion,showing that overcrowding was the most important factor determining negative outcomes.
Study 2: Due to the fact that an association between overcrowding and antisocial behavior among adolescents was found in Study 1, there was a need to investigate possible mediators between these two constructs. Study 2 was designed to explore whether overcrowding could lead to aggression and negativity in the home, which in turn could lead to antisocial behavior outside of the home. The sample was the same as in Study 1. The data were analysed with the SPSS macro PROCESS with six scales as variables. Overcrowding served as the independent variable, anti-social behavior as the dependent variable, and parental negativity, adult aggression, sibling aggression and witnessing of domestic violence as mediators in a conditional process analysis. The results corroborated the hypothesis that the four mediators had an indirect effect on the antisocial behavior of the respondents. Accordingly, they mediated the effect of overcrowding in the home on antisocial behavior outside of the home.
Study 3: In the study, it was investigated whether there were associations between how much adolescents slept per night and how much aggressive and antisocial behaviour they displayed and were exposed to. The sample was the same as in Studies 1 and 2. It was found that the total sleeping time of the adolescents correlated negatively with five scales measuring adult aggression, sibling aggression, domestic violence, parental negativity, and antisocial behaviour. Thus, the less the adolescents slept, the more they were exposed to aggression and negativity, and they also themselves behaved more aggressively and antisocially. Participants living in overcrowded conditions slept less than others.
Study 4: In the study, it was investigated whether there is an association between the contraction of infectious diseases and peer aggression in a school context. The study was carried out among 284 adolescents (152 girls, 132 boys; Mage = 14.2 years, SD = 1.7) in Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria. It was measured how frequently the adolescents had contracted malaria, yellow fever, typhoid fever, and cough & flu. Both the perpetration of and victimization from peer aggression at school were measured with an adapted version of the Direct & Indirect Aggression Scales. The results showed a clear association between the contraction of all measured infectious diseases and peer aggression. It is suggested that it is not a question of cause and effect, but that a third factor, possible overcrowding, is a risk factor for both outcomes. The results of these four studies have implications for housing policies in Nigeria. Moreover, these results may also have implications for research and policy making in other nations and parts of the world.
Study 1: The objective was to investigate the relationships between overcrowding, domestic aggression, and antisocial behaviour in a sample of adolescents in Lagos metropolitan area, Nigeria. Possible sex differences and differences due to religious affiliation concerning domestic violence and antisocial behaviour were also investigated. A questionnaire was filled in by 238 Nigerian adolescents, 12–20 years of age; the sample included 122 females (Mage = 15.1 years, SD = 2.0) and 116 males (Mage = 15.8 years, SD = 2.0). The respondents were from junior and senior secondary schools in Ejigbo and surrounding cities (Isolo, Egbe, and Ago-Palace Lagos). Six scales were included: adolescents as victimsof adult and sibling aggression, respectively, witnessing of domestic violence, parental negativity towards adolescents, antisocial behaviour among adolescents, and poverty in the home. Overcrowding, sex and religious affiliationserved as independent variables. According to a multivariate analysis of variance with level of poverty as covariate, overcrowding showed significant associations with four of five scales measuring aggressive and antisocial behaviours. Sex and religion were associated with three variables each. However, multiple regression analyses revealed that overcrowding tended to partial out the effects of both sex and religion,showing that overcrowding was the most important factor determining negative outcomes.
Study 2: Due to the fact that an association between overcrowding and antisocial behavior among adolescents was found in Study 1, there was a need to investigate possible mediators between these two constructs. Study 2 was designed to explore whether overcrowding could lead to aggression and negativity in the home, which in turn could lead to antisocial behavior outside of the home. The sample was the same as in Study 1. The data were analysed with the SPSS macro PROCESS with six scales as variables. Overcrowding served as the independent variable, anti-social behavior as the dependent variable, and parental negativity, adult aggression, sibling aggression and witnessing of domestic violence as mediators in a conditional process analysis. The results corroborated the hypothesis that the four mediators had an indirect effect on the antisocial behavior of the respondents. Accordingly, they mediated the effect of overcrowding in the home on antisocial behavior outside of the home.
Study 3: In the study, it was investigated whether there were associations between how much adolescents slept per night and how much aggressive and antisocial behaviour they displayed and were exposed to. The sample was the same as in Studies 1 and 2. It was found that the total sleeping time of the adolescents correlated negatively with five scales measuring adult aggression, sibling aggression, domestic violence, parental negativity, and antisocial behaviour. Thus, the less the adolescents slept, the more they were exposed to aggression and negativity, and they also themselves behaved more aggressively and antisocially. Participants living in overcrowded conditions slept less than others.
Study 4: In the study, it was investigated whether there is an association between the contraction of infectious diseases and peer aggression in a school context. The study was carried out among 284 adolescents (152 girls, 132 boys; Mage = 14.2 years, SD = 1.7) in Ejigbo, Lagos, Nigeria. It was measured how frequently the adolescents had contracted malaria, yellow fever, typhoid fever, and cough & flu. Both the perpetration of and victimization from peer aggression at school were measured with an adapted version of the Direct & Indirect Aggression Scales. The results showed a clear association between the contraction of all measured infectious diseases and peer aggression. It is suggested that it is not a question of cause and effect, but that a third factor, possible overcrowding, is a risk factor for both outcomes. The results of these four studies have implications for housing policies in Nigeria. Moreover, these results may also have implications for research and policy making in other nations and parts of the world.
Kokoelmat
- 515 Psykologia [49]