Exposure to Family Violence, Deviant Peer Affiliation, School Connectedness, Neighbourhood Disorder, and Anger Rumination as Predictors of Juvenile Delinquency among In-School Adolescents in Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined exposure to family violence, deviant peer affiliation, school connectedness, neighbourhood disorder, and anger rumination as predictors of juvenile delinquency among in-school adolescents in Enugu State, Nigeria. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. A total of 267 in-school adolescents were selected through a multistage sampling technique. Data were collected using standardized instruments measuring the study variables. Pearson Product Moment Correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to test the hypotheses at a 0.05 level of significance. Findings revealed that exposure to family violence (r = 0.60), deviant peer affiliation (r = 0.63), neighbourhood disorder (r = 0.57), and anger rumination (r = 0.61) had significant positive relationships with juvenile delinquency, while school connectedness showed a significant negative relationship (r = -0.58). The regression analysis indicated that the independent variables jointly accounted for 55% of the variance in juvenile delinquency (R² = 0.55; F = 62.48, p < .05). Deviant peer affiliation emerged as the strongest predictor (β = 0.34), followed by anger rumination (β = 0.31) and family violence (β = 0.29), while school connectedness had a significant negative contribution (β = -0.27). The study concludes that juvenile delinquency is shaped by interacting family, peer, school, neighbourhood, and cognitive-emotional factors. It recommends strengthened school bonding, parental guidance, community safety interventions, and emotional regulation programmes for adolescents.