Determinants of Bullying Among Public Secondary School Students in Mushin, Lagos State, Nigeria

The rate at which bullying is been perpetrated in schools on a daily basis is alarming and worrisome. It is a big threat that should not be handled with levity. Bullying is not only dangerous to the victims but also to the perpetrators, parents, schools and the society. The consequences could have a life-long effect on the individual that is bullied. In view of this, this study, therefore, examined the school climate, peer influence, social competence and family cohesion as facilitators of bullying among public secondary school students in Mushin, Lagos State. Two hundred and two (202) public secondary school students from 6 (six) public schools in Mushin, Lagos State were randomly selected for the study. Standardized instruments were used to measure the variables. Three research questions were raised and answered. Data collected were analyzed using the Multiple Regression Analysis and Pearson Product Moment Correlation at 0.05 level of significance. Findings of the study showed that bulling among the participants correlated positively with the four predicting variables and a coefficient of multiple correlations (R) of 0.812 and adjusted R square of 0.646 was noted. Family cohesion is the most potent contributor to the prediction (β = 0.308, t = 6.938, p 0.05) followed by peer influence (β = 0.292, t = 6.017, p 0.05), school climate (β = 0.126, t = 2.466, p 0.05) and finally, social competence (β = 0.015, t = 0.343, p 0.05). Based on the findings, it was recommended that counselling psychologists and allied professionals should endeavour to sensitize the government, school owners and public on the benefits of positive school climate and family cohesion in reducing bullying in the school system. Also, bullying may be reduced through anti-bullying programs in schools that serve to raise awareness of the problem. Lastly, cordial relationship should be established at homes among the siblings and between the parents and their children as this will go a long way in raising children with high social competence skills as well as promoting healthy relationship that fosters friendliness in school setting rather than bullying among the students. Article visualizations: