REDEFINING RISKY BEHAVIOUR IN CONTEMPORARY NIGERIA; AN ADOLESCENT’S PARADIGM
Abstract
Risky behaviour have debilitating consequences for the lives of adolescents, especially in the areas of health, psychological growth, and social growth. The consequences of adolescent risky behaviour outweigh the benefits, sometimes amounting to sudden death, irreparable injuries, or life-threatening illnesses and diseases. Adolescents’ today take part actively in cultism, as the activities are deadly, which might shorten the life of the individual. This might lead members to fighting, injury, drug use, truancy, excommunication, imprisonment, and death. The factors responsible for why adolescents get involved in risky behaviours (mainly drug use and abuse, sex, internet fraud, vandalism, and cultism) are almost similar to why other people do so. On this note, the work adopts two major theories to explain risk-taking behaviours among adolescents; they are stated below as follows: The Differential Association Theory and Broken Windows Theory. There are several risk-taking behaviours among contemporary adolescents in Nigeria. The study looked at five major risk-taking behaviours that are most common among adolescents in Nigeria: sexual intercourse, drug use and abuse, cultism, reckless driving, and internet fraud. The study also established that adolescents indulge more in risk-taking behaviour than other members of society, reflecting drug use and abuse and partaking in sexual activities that are unprotected, especially with multiple partners. it was recommended that families should create support groups where Parents and other family members can support and assist children in handling peer pressure.
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