Societal Factors and Behaviour Maladjustment of the Boy-Child in Kenya

Abstract

This study purposed to establish societal factors contributing to the boy-child’s behaviour maladjustment in selected boys’ rehabilitation institutions in Kenya. It was guided by social learning theory and to achieve the purpose of the study, ex post facto design was used. Purposive sampling was used to select three boys’ rehabilitation institutions while convenience sampling was used to select 92 boys. A questionnaire was used to collect data from the boys. Data collected was coded and analyzed using SPSS. The study established that society contributed to the boy-child’s behaviour maladjustment. Two society related variables were found to be statistically associated with the outcome variable of maladaptive behaviour at p=0.05 and p=0.017 respectively. However, these findings are not generalizable to all the boys’ population with maladaptive behaviour in Kenya because the study focused on boys who were institutionalized and within the age limit given yet there are many more with problem behaviour outside this age bracket and outside these institutions. Besides, the findings were based on a sample size of 90 boys which limits the generalization of the study findings to areas and populations similar to study area and population. Despite the limitations, the findings of this study are useful in highlighting the factors that contribute to the behavioral maladjustment of the boy-child in rehabilitation institutions. The findings, to some extent corroborate previous studies conducted worldwide. It is, therefore, useful and applicable in the global context.