Perceived Societal Effects of Deviant Behaviour among Male Students of Benue State School of Health Technology, Agasha, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Deviant behaviour among students in tertiary institutions is a public health, educational,and social concern because it is associated with campus disorder, poor learning outcomes, violence, andbroader social instability. This study assessed the perceived societal effects of deviant behaviour amongmale students of Benue State School of Health Technology, Agasha, Nigeria.Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted among male students in the institution. Thestudy population comprised 580 male students. A multistage sampling approach involving stratification bydepartment and simple random selection yielded a target sample of 160 respondents, of whom 128 returnedproperly completed questionnaires for analysis, giving a response rate of 80.0%. Data were collected using a self-developed structured questionnaire that was validated by three experts in Primary Health Care. Split-half reliability testing yielded a coefficient of 0.83. Data were analysed using frequencies, percentages, rank ordering, and 95% confidence intervals for key proportions.Results: Most respondents were aged 26–30 years (50.0%), and all respondents identified as Christians. Themost strongly perceived societal effects of deviant behaviour were criminal behaviour in adulthood, reportedby 122 respondents (95.3%); terrorism in adulthood, reported by 110 respondents (85.9%); and death ofvictims or mortality, reported by 104 respondents (81.3%). Other perceived consequences included lownational investment (73.4%), infrastructural decay (70.3%), unemployment (65.6%), and societal insecurity(59.4%).Conclusion: Respondents perceived deviant behaviour as extending beyond individual misconduct towider social, economic, public health, and security consequences. Preventive responses should thereforecombine institutional counselling, parental engagement, value-based education, and the early identificationof students at risk of persistent behavioural problems.