Al-Hikmah University Journal

This study investigated Loneliness and Peer Pressure as Predictors of Delinquent Behaviour Among Secondary Schools Students Ilorin Metropolis, Kwara State. The study adopted a correlation research design. The population for the study comprises of all senior secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis. Simple Random Sampling Technique was used to select 150 senior secondary school students within Ilorin Metropolis. The instruments used for the collection of data were Bench’s (2003) Loneliness Scale (r = 0.82), Peer Pressure Scale (r= 0.73) and Hussain’s (2004) Delinquency Behaviour Scale (r = 0.59). The data collected were analysed using Pearson Product Moment Correlation and Multiple Regression. The hypotheses were tested at 0.05. The findings revealed that there was significant relationship between emotional loneliness and delinquent behaviour among senior secondary school students within Ilorin Metropolis (r. calculated = 0.64, df = 198 and P < 0.05); there was significant relationship between peer pressure and delinquent behaviour among senior secondary school students within Ilorin Metropolis. (r. calculated = 0.64, df = 198 and P < 0.05); there was significant joint contribution of loneliness and peer pressure to the prediction of delinquent behaviour among senior secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis Area of Kwara State (AR2 = 0.59, df 2/97 = 71.13 and P < 0.05) and loneliness (β = 0.47) and peer pressure (β = 0.46) had significant relative contributions to the prediction of delinquent behaviour among senior secondary school students in Ilorin Metropolis. The findings were discussed and necessary recommendations based on the findings of this study were put forward. Important suggestions on how delinquent behaviour can be curb base on the finding of this study by subsequent efforts on this or similar studies are provided.