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Relationship Between Social Maladjustment and Deviant Behaviour Among Undergraduate Students

Ekwo, Jude Chukwudi, Douglas, John Ufuoma, Anyado, Uzoma Evelyn

Abstract

Deviant behaviour among adolescents and young adults has become a persistent worry in higher education, given its damaging effects on academic performance, psychological health, and social functioning (Valdebenito et al., 2015; Hughes et al., 2017). This study set out to examine how social maladjustment relates to deviant behaviour among undergraduate students, drawing on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (Ajzen, 1991) and a correlational design to test whether social maladjustment predicts deviant behavioural tendencies. Forty undergraduates (M = 20.96 years, SD = 2.15) were recruited through multi-stage sampling and completed the Deviant Behaviour Variety Scale (Sanches et al., 2016) and the Social Maladjustment Scale (Wiggins, 1966); data were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation. A significant positive relationship emerged between social maladjustment and deviant behaviour, suggesting that students who struggle to adjust socially are more prone to deviant acts. These findings point to social competence deficits as a meaningful contributor to behavioural deviance in tertiary institutions, and the study recommends that universities introduce targeted psychosocial interventions to strengthen students' social functioning and curb maladaptive behaviours.

Keywords

Social maladjustmentdeviant behaviourundergraduate studentsadolescenceplanned behaviour theory

References

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