Some Predisposing Factors Associated with School Violence Among Adolescents in Secondary Schools in Nigeria

Abstract

School violence has gained attention in recent years with the rise of aggressive behaviour in schools, and it is currently considered a growing public health issue across the globe. This has led to a considerable increase in the number of public policies and programmes aimed at tackling the problem, as well as to a very large number of empirical studies. Research suggests that school violence victims may experience physical harm, psychological trauma, such as anxiety, loneliness, depression, low self-esteem, poor academic outcomes, low school attendance, suicidal ideation and in rare cases, extreme outbursts of lethal aggression. The act of school violence vary in severity and frequency, and include behaviours such as social isolation, threats and intimidation (including through electronic communications), school fights, possession and use of weapons, property theft and vandalism, sexual harassment and assault, abuse from school staff, gang violence, and hate crimes. It is essential to intervene in order to improve the quality of life of children/adolescents at school. Recommendations are therefore put forward to raise awareness on media about the risk of violent programmes and also parents should be educated on the importance of selecting non- violent, educational TV programmes the for children .