PSYCHO-SOCIAL AND BEHAVIOURAL INTERVENTIONS AMONG ADOLESCENT STUDENTS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN TRANS-NZOIA COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The need to investigate the psychosocial and behavioural interventions among adolescent students in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County was the basis for this study. This study sought to investigate the psychosocial and behavioural interventions among adolescent students in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County. The specific objectives of the study were to examine the psychosocial interventions on adolescent students in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County; to establish the behavioural interventions on adolescent students in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County; and to assess the challengesof the interventions on the adolescent students in public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County. The theoretical frame-work used in this study was the Social Cognitive Theory that considers the unique way in which individuals acquire and maintain behaviour which considers the social environment of an individual. The study applied mixed methods research design which combined elements of qualitative and research approaches for the broad purposes of breadth and depth of understanding and corroboration. The target population consisted of public secondary schools in Trans-Nzoia County. The sample for the study was identified by using convenience and stratified random sampling techniques. The sample size was 116 schools worked through Nassiuma (2000) formula. Data was collected using structured questionnaires, document analysis, interviews and observation schedule. The study adopted descriptive which included frequency distribution, central tendency, variability/dispersion and inferential data analysis which included hypothesis testing, confidence intervals, regression analysis, analysis of variance (ANOVA) and t-test. The conclusions of this study are that both psycho-social and behavioural interventions had a substantial impact on the adolescent students in public secondary schools. It was also clear that adolescent students face obstacles such as low self-esteem, stress, bullying and addiction. The study also indicated that the use of new technology into both psycho-social and behavioural interventions is required. Therecommendations of the study were that psycho-social interventions as well as behavioural interventions affect adolescent student development. The major finding of the study is that psycho-social and behavioural interventions play a key role in the holistic formation of adolescent students in terms of behavioural, cognitive, psycho-dynamic, humanistic, systematic, motivational, disease and social and environmental management.