TABLE
OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
1.2 Statement of the Problem
1.3 Aims and Objectives of the
Study
1.4 Research Questions
1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms
CHAPTER TWO
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
2.0 Introduction
2.1 Concept of Family
2.2 Family Disintegration
2.3 DeviantBehaviour
2.4 Family Disintegration and Deviant Behaviour
2.5 Factors That Affect Engagement in Deviant Behaviour
2.5.1 Age
2.5.2 Gender
2.5.3 Socioeconomic Status
2.6 Causes of Family Disintegration
2.7 Effects of Family Disintegration on the Child and the Family
Having
2.8 Empirical Justification
2.9 Appraisal of the Literature Review
CHAPTER THREE
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK AND
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.3 Research Methodology
3.3.1 Research Design
3.3.2 Sampling Procedure
3.3.3 Sampling Size
3.3.4 Research Instrument
3.3.5 Validity and Reliability of the Research Instrument
3.3.6. Method of Data Analysis
3.3.7 Research Hypothesis
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS
4.1 Introduction
4.2 PRESENTATION OF DATA
4.3 Hypotheses Testing
4.4 Decision Rule on Tested Hypotheses
4.4.1 Hypothesis One
4.4.2 Hypothesis Two
4.4.1 Hypothesis Three
4.5 SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND
RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary
5.3 Conclusion
5.4 Recommendations
REFERENCES
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
From the creation of man, family has been the basic
unit of social organization. It is a great circle where all moral of life is
transmitted. Family remains the life wire of any society (Werwoc, 1974). The
family can be described as the basic unit, since it embraces all forms of
interaction between individuals. Apart from the importance of the family to the members
of the society, it serves as a semi-originator or controller of the existing
institution the social system, because without people who make up the society,
there will be no existing social institution. The family provides the
individual with an identity, with a social and with economic well-being. The
other institutions have only slowly emerged from the family and have for a long
time been dependent on the family.
The family is universally regarded as the most
sacred of the institutions and it is held so in the society. Similarly, Murdock
(1949) postulated that such an institution is university and functionally necessary because it performs
those primary functions fundamental to human and social life. A family is
defined as ‘two or more persons within a private or institutional household who
are related as husband and wife, as cohabiting partners, or as parent and child
(IJNECE, 2005:3). The term ‘family’ includes: a one-person household, that is,
a persons who live alone in a separate housing unit alongside his wife and
children. According to Wright and Wright (1994), the family is the foundation
of human society. Children who are
rejected by their parents, who grow up in homes with considerable conflict or who are inadequately supervised
are at the greatest risk of becoming delinquent. Adolescence is a time of
expanding vulnerabilities and opportunities that accompany the widening social
and geographic exposure to life beyond school or family. Understanding the
nature a relationships within the family, i.e. family adaptability, cohesion,
and satisfaction, provides more information for understanding youth behavior
(Cashwell & Vacc 1996).
Cohesiveness of the family successfully predicts
the frequency of delinquent act as for non traditional families (Matherne &
Thomas 2001). Family behaviors particularly parental monitoring and disciplining seem to influence association
with deviant peers throughout the adolescent period (Cashwell &Vacc 1994).
The structure of the family plays a large role in children’s experiences and
the support they receive in the home.
The origin of juvenile delinquency in Nigeria dates
back to the 1920s when youth crime such as pick pocketing and prostitution
became predominant issues in Nigerian newspapers in that period. This ugly
trend led to the establishment of judicial administrative process by the
colonial administrators to deal with juvenile delinquents (Fourchard, 2006). It
is appalling that the worrisome issue of juvenile delinquency still plagues the
contemporary Nigerian society in a serious dimension (Muhammed, Salami ,Adekeye, Ayinla
and Adeoye,2009). However, the problem of juvenile delinquency is not peculiar
to Nigeria. In 2007, the law enforcement agencies in the United States of
America reported 2.18 million of juveniles (Alfry, 2010). Alfry also reported
that the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics found out that 72% of
jailed juveniles came from fragmented families. According to World Youth Report
cited in Sheryln (2008), the rate of criminal activity among juveniles in
groups in the Russian Federation is about three to four times higher than that of
adult offenders. Motivated by the increasing rate of juvenile delinquency in
Britain,
July
and Farrington (200 examined deviant behaviour and family disruption in a
Longitudinal survey of South London males from age 8 to 46. The researchers
found out that 29% of the boys from disrupted families were convicted as
juveniles compared with 18% of the boy from stable families. The researchers
concluded that family disruption was one of The contributory factors to the upsurge
of juvenile delinquency in Britain. In Kenya, Muola,Ndugu and Ngesa (2009) cited
in Kimani (2010) in a study of the relationship between Family functions and
deviant behaviour in Nakuru municipality in Kenya found out that the incidences
of deviant behaviour have increased in recent years in Kenya. Deviant behaviour
was found to be significantly related to family instability and mode of
discipline. The researchers suggested that there was a relationship between
family functions and deviant behaviour in Kenya. Fourchard (2006) has also
decried the increasing trend of juvenile delinquency in South Africa,
attributing the upsurge to familial factors amongst contributory variables. In view
of the foregoing issues and trends globally and locally, many researchers agree
that the foundation of juvenile delinquency is rooted in the kind of home the
child is brought up (Okorodudu, 2010; Igbo, 2007). Muharnmed et at (2009) have
observed that family instability is on
the increase in Nigeria and that the increasing crime trends among tile youths
may be attributed to this.
While there has been considerable debate about tile
effects of divorce or a new marriage on children, and whether it is the change
in parental unions or the underlying characteristics and Family disintegration
has become a thing associated with the contemporary family institution. This
however, is not to say that it had never once occurred family situation of the
past but that the rate at which it occurs in our present society is quite
alarming. This is common in our contemporary family institution than before.
The problems of family instability can be traced to the rapid growth rate of
urbanization and industrialization in Nigeria. The economy is growing and it
requires a lot of manpower (both skilled and unskilled). This has aroused every
member of the family to become one way or the other involved in the economic
growth of the nation. The involvement of women in wage carrying is a threat in
the family solidarity; couples hardly find time to stay together for
interaction purposes. Childcare which should be the responsibility of the
parents is now shifted to the school and house helps. There are also some
social factors that affect the disintegration of the family. The idea of
managing more than one wife might lead to an end of the family. The habits that
either the wife or the husband is involved in extra marital airs which are
perpetuated by some men and some women might lead to an end of the family. The
habits that either the wife or the husband is addicted to smoking or drinking
also lead to family dissolution. Lack of trust in many families amongst the
couples is wrecking marriages today. Peer influences also threaten the family
solidarity if care is not taken by couples. As a result of outside influences,
irrational decisions are made to the detriment of one’s wish and this might
lead to a marital crisis. Other factors such as education, illegitimate
children, religion and infertility of the wife also initiate disintegration in
the family. Children of separated parents often bear the consequences of family
disintegration. They always serve as the “scape goat” to the vices of either the
mother or the father. The tension and hostility of unsolved conflict between
parents often gets back to the child. There are so many boys and girls and even
adults roaming about the streets, many are delinquents, vandar and louts while
some are mutually disturbed because of family disintegration. through a lot of
people are still contracting marriages in Nigeria but there exist a lot of
single parents which is a product of family disintegration. The problem of
family disintegration is compounding due to lack of support from local
government authorities for both marriages and children form dissolved homes.
There are several forms of family disintegration which includes divorce,
separation, desertion, death of one of the parent etc.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Deviant behaviour in Nigeria is a major social problem
which affects the whole society and constitutes a serious impediment to
development (Muhammed et al 2009). For instance in Ilorin metropolis today,
deviant act is common among the young people, many of who are caught in one
criminal act or the other such as examination malpractice, armed robbery, assault,
rape, house breaking, forgery, truancy etc. Muhammed et al (2010) have observed
that young people in contemporary Nigeria are mostly involved in armed robbery,
Cultism, kidnapping, drug abuse and other deviant activities. In supporting
this fact, it is widely known today that the young people were the most
involved in illicit drug usage and dealings. The consequences of this malady
and other deviant act such as; examination malpractice, alcoholism, forgery,
rape, etc. in Nigeria include; social violence among youths, armed robbery,
mental disorders, lack of respect for elders and other numerous social ills. In
the light of the nauseating problems of deviant behaviour in Nigeria and Ilorin
metropolis, various factors such as; poverty, peer pressure, family
instability, westernization and so on have been attributed to be the cause.
This study seeks to focus on family instability and
its contribution to deviant behavior because “the family has a crucial role to
play in the development of a conforming or delinquent personality. Inadequate
supervision arising from family instability seems to be associated with deviant
behavior (Alfrey, 2010). Lack of parental monitoring contributes or directly to
children’s anti-social behaviours, but also indirectly as it contributes to
exposing them to associate with deviant peers, which is predictive of higher
levels of deviant acts. From observation, it seems that parents and care givers
are not doing much in the supervision of their children in Nigeria because of
their numerous economic and social engagements. This scenario tends to be
giving impetus to deviant behaviours in Nigeria and Ilorin metropolis in
particular. Children from broken homes are more likely to run away from their
family than children who come from more stable families (Uwaoma & Udeagha,
2007 and Uwaoma and Udeagha further explained that a broken home has an imbalance
and as is detrimental to a child’s socialization and personality adjustment.
Children growinga up in unstable families are at a greater risk of experiencing
a variety of behavioural and educational problems, including; smoking, drug
abuse, vandalism, violence and criminal acts than children from stable families
(Sheryln, 2008).
1.3 Aims and Objectives of the
Study
The major aim of the study is to examine the
influence of family disintegration on deviant behaviour. Other objectives of
the study are to:
i.
To
assess the family features of the respondents.
ii.
To
examine the causes of family disintegration.
iii.
To
examine the deviant characteristics of the respondents.
1.4 Research Questions
This study would be guided by the following
research questions What are the family characteristics of the respondents?
i. What are the causes of family
disintegration?
ii. What are the deviant characteristics of
the respondents?
iii. What are the deviant characteristics of
the respondents?
Significance of the Study
The
significance of this research work can be explained in terms of practical gain
or benefits to be derived from the study. The result of this study is intended
to enable, individuals, policy-makers, curriculum planners and the government
to make adequate plan on how to ensure that the high level of deviant behaviour
among the youth is reduced to minimal levels or eliminated. On the side of the
youth, it will go a long way in ensuring or implanting an acceptable lifestyle
and perception towards one’s behaviour.
This study will also enable policy makers to realize
the need for enacting and enforcing appropriate policies that would be of help
in integrating the family institution. It will also make the government to be
aware of the causes of family disintegration and proffer .to combat them.
1.6 Scope and Limitations of the Study
This study will be limited to family disintegration
and deviant behaviours in Ilorin metropolis kwara state. Ilorin is regarded as
one of the ancient cities in Kwara State which is people mostly by the Yorubas,
Fulani, Hausa, Nupe and so on. The Yoruba people of Ilorin claimed to be the
original owners of the town and that every other persons or groups were mere
settlers. (Samuel Johnson 1990).
Every research work has its own limitations and this
work is not an exception. Cautious attempt is made to overcome these
limitations. Due to the suspicious nature of the youth engaged in deviant
behaviour to strangers, they might not have been willing to give full information
about their deviant behaviour for fear of consequences. Data collection from
the youth will be relatively limited by asking indirect questions. This
required more explanations of the data instruments for clear understanding by
the respondents during pre-testing.
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms
The following terms are operationally defined to
avoid ambiguity. Family: It is a
group of people that consist of father mother and children.
Disintegration: disintegration is also known as
instability, disorganized in this study.
Disintegrated families: these are family characterized
by separation, divorce, death of one of the parent, single parenthood.
Deviant behaviour: Behaviour which is against
societies accepted norms. For this study, these include drug abuse,
prostitution, burglary, rape, alcoholism, muggings and stealing. it is also consider
as juvenile delinquency for this study.
Drug: Is any substance that, when
absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal body function.
Youth: These are youngsters between
ages of 13-35 (for the purpose of the study).
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