Relationship between Home Environment and Child Deviant Behaviours in Rivers State, Nigeria

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between home environment and child deviant behaviours in Rivers state, Nigeria. The study adopted a correlational research design. A stratified non-proportionate random sampling technique was used to select 300 married teachers’ having children under their care. The mean and standard deviation were evaluated. Pearson’s Product-Moment correlation was used to test the hypotheses using the Statistical Package for Service Solution (SPSS). Results from the study showed that there is a significant relationship between home environment variables such as family socioeconomic status, poor attitude of extended family members’ and home media and Deviant Behaviour. The result from this study also showed that poor attitudes of extended family members such as smoking, gossiping, bad advice, over pampering and moral bankrupt will negatively affect the child. The findings also revealed that uncontrolled television viewing, addiction to games, exposure to pornography through unregulated home media, school absenteeism, uncontrolled use of internet at home and unregulated television viewing can have negative effects on the child. Furthermore, the family economic status such as inability to provide basic needs by parents, family poverty and unmet needs can result to deviant behaviours such as stealing, disrespect and street begging in children. It is therefore recommended that families should be sensitized on the destructive aspects of the extended family structure on child behaviours. In addition, families should regulate the use of home media by children.