Parenting Styles and Aggressive Behavior among In-School Adolescents in Abia State, Nigeria

This study investigated parenting styles as a correlate of aggressive behavior among in-school adolescents in Abia State. Four research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study, correlational research as design. The sample consisted of 878 respondents drawn through two stage sampling procedure from a population of 8783 (4195 male and 4588 female) in-school adolescents. Two instruments titled “Parenting Styles Questionnaire” (PSQ) and “Students’ Aggressive Behaviour Questionnaire” (SABQ) were developed by the researchers and used for the study. The stability of the instruments was determined using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient which gave reliability indices of .852 and .823 for PSQ and SABO respectively. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient, Linear regression, multiple regressions and Scheffe test  revealed the following findings: the prevalence of aggressive behavior is to a high extent as the in-school adolescents experience physical, emotional and verbal aggressive behaviours to a high extent. Parenting Styles Correlated to a very high and significant extent with aggressive behavior of in-school adolescents; a positive but very low and no significant gender differences exist in the relationship between parenting styles and aggressive behavior of the adolescents. Location (urban and rural areas) to a positive high and significant extent creates differences in the correlation between parenting styles. Among the educational implications of the findings was that aggressive behavior depends on parenting styles among in-school adolescents. It was thus recommended among others that there need for periodic exposure of in-school adolescents and their parents to seminars on parenting styles and as relate to aggressive behavior among in-school adolescents.