Parenting styles, peer influence, and antisocial behaviour among adolescents in Mukono District

Abstract

Adolescence is a critical stage of life, associated with high peer influence and high prevalence of antisocial behaviours. The type of parenting in a home is associated with adolescent’s peer influence and anti-social behaviours. However, limited research has been conducted among adolescents in Uganda about the significance of understanding this relationship. The purpose of the study was to investigate the relationship between parenting styles, peer influence, and anti-social behaviours among adolescents in Uganda and at the same time explore the potential mediating role of peer influence. A cross-sectional design was used and data was collected using self-report questionnaires. The sample consisted of 195 adolescents from a selected secondary school in Mukono and purposive sampling technique was utilized. The Parental Authority Questionnaire, the Peer influence, Popularity and Conformity Questionnaire, and the Anti-social Behaviour Questionnaire were used to measure parenting styles, peer influence, and anti-social behaviours respectively. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 25. One-Way ANOVA results revealed that parenting styles were significantly related with anti-social behaviours (F (2,192) =121.68, p= .004), parenting styles were also significantly associated with peer influence. (F (2, 192) = 14.12, p = .047) while Pearson correlation results revealed that there was a significant relationship between peer influence and antisocial behaviour, ( r (193) = .452, p < .0.01). Peer influence mediated the relationship between parenting styles and anti-social behaviours (B = 0.53, SE = 0.19, t = 2.81, p = .006).These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of these variables and further provide significant insights for parents, governments and other stakeholders to develop policies and interventions that cultivate positive relationships among adolescents and help to promote pro-social behaviours.