NCJ Number
213688
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 30 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 271-282
Date Published
March 2006
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study explored the sociodemographic features and the patterns of commonly exhibited antisocial behaviors of street youth in Ibadan, Nigeria.
Abstract
Main findings indicated that the majority of street youth in Ibadan, Nigeria are males who are vulnerable to antisocial and conduct problems. The majority of street youth engage in economic tasks that typically earn them around $2 per day. Younger street youth were more likely to engage in frequent social problems such as stealing and obstinacy whereas older street youth were more likely to have histories of school suspension, truancy, school refusal, prostitution, drug trafficking, and arson. Parents of street youth generally had low levels of education; the fathers were likely to practice polygamy while the mothers were likely to engage in polyandry. The findings seem to support the widely held view that street youth are widely involved in delinquent and deviant behavior. Yet the finding of their economic viability refutes the argument that the general nature of street youth is to be antisocial. Intervention strategies with street youth should explore the efficacy of employing life skills interventions. Research methods involved 2 focus group discussions and 2 in-depth interviews with 20 boys and 2 community leaders recruited through nonpurposive sampling. Additionally, 169 consecutive street youth were approached to complete a semistructured questionnaire regarding their personal and criminal histories and activities on the street. Statistical analyses were carried out using SPSS 10.0 for Windows (Statistical Program for the Social Sciences). Limitations of the study include its reliance on self-report data and its lack of assessment of emotional and psychological problems. Tables, references