Olley B O
Department of Psychology, Faculty of the Social Sciences, University of Ibadan, PO Box 29530, Ibadan, Oyo-State, Nigeria.
Child Abuse Negl. 2006 Mar;30(3):271-82. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.10.011. Epub 2006 Mar 7.
This study documents the extent and impact of perceived patterns of behavior in a sample of youths of the streets of Ibadan, Nigeria, with the purpose of implementing a Life Skills Educational (LSE) intervention.
The study uses both qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection. Qualitatively, two Focus Group Discussions (FGD) and two in-depth interviews (IDI) with 20 boys and 2 community leaders were conducted on separate occasions for the purpose of eliciting commonly exhibited behaviors and patterns of street youth. Quantitatively, 169 youths (89.3% male) were consecutively interviewed from five subcultural areas in Ibadan, Nigeria. Street youths were accessed through a snowballing technique made possible by "Area boys" (AB, adults, who serve as a symbol of authority for street children).
The mean age of participants was 18.4 years. The majority was on the street for financial reasons, had been on the street for more than 1 year, and had not completed their primary schooling. While youths of the street were economically viable, 69% had a history of alcohol abuse, 14% of drug abuse, and 24% operated as drug couriers; 46% reported school refusal, 27% school suspension, and 47% school truancy. Forty-nine percent admitted to being sex workers and 11% had been raped and were, therefore, at risk of contacting sexually transmitted diseases (STD). One-third of youths had been arrested for various offenses, including street fighting and drug use. While females were in the minority, they were more likely to engage in antisocial behaviors compared with boys.
Although many youths of the street display antisocial behaviors, they also are an economically viable group. Some of their antisocial behaviors may have been exhibited within the context of economic survival. Implementing a life skill program to address these antisocial behaviors may help to increase the well being of street youths in developing countries in Africa.
本研究记录了尼日利亚伊巴丹街头青少年样本中感知到的行为模式的程度和影响，目的是实施一项生活技能教育（LSE）干预措施。
本研究采用定性和定量两种数据收集方法。定性方面，分别进行了两次焦点小组讨论（FGD）和两次深入访谈（IDI），对象是20名男孩和2名社区领袖，目的是引出街头青少年常见的行为和模式。定量方面，从尼日利亚伊巴丹的五个亚文化区域连续访谈了169名青少年（89.3%为男性）。通过“区域男孩”（AB，即成年人，他们是街头儿童的权威象征）采用滚雪球技术接触到街头青少年。
参与者的平均年龄为18.4岁。大多数人走上街头是出于经济原因，在街上待了一年多，且未完成小学学业。虽然街头青少年在经济上有生存能力，但69%有酗酒史，14%有吸毒史，24%充当毒品运送者；46%报告有拒学情况，27%被学校停学，47%逃学。49%承认是性工作者，11%曾遭强奸，因此有感染性传播疾病（STD）的风险。三分之一的青少年因各种罪行被捕，包括街头斗殴和吸毒。虽然女性占少数，但与男孩相比，她们更有可能从事反社会行为。
尽管许多街头青少年表现出反社会行为，但他们也是一个在经济上有生存能力的群体。他们的一些反社会行为可能是在经济生存的背景下表现出来的。实施一项生活技能计划来解决这些反社会行为可能有助于提高非洲发展中国家街头青少年的福祉。
