Keywords
adverse childhood experiences
resilience
emotional intelligence and adolescents
How to Cite
Abstract
Disruptive Behaviour Disorders (DBDs), present significant challenges to adolescent development, academic achievement, and social integration. Hitherto, studies have investigated the link between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and DBDs, but there is a paucity of literature on the roles of emotional intelligence and resilience in their association. This study, therefore, investigated ACEs and the moderating roles of resilience and emotional intelligence on DBDs among adolescents in Lagos State. A cross-sectional research design was employed, and a total of 1,728 in-school adolescents were assessed using standardised scales for ACEs, resilience, emotional intelligence, and DBDs. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, simple linear and multiple regression and moderation analysis (PROCESS Macro). Findings revealed respondents’ mean age was 14.73±1.66 years. 88% of the adolescents fell within the moderate to high category levels of DBDs. ACEs significantly and positively predicted DBDs. Resilience significantly moderated the relationship between ACEs and DBDs, while emotional intelligence did not, implying the importance of resilience in ACEs, while emotional intelligence is not enough to attenuate the effect of ACEs on DBDs. There was a significant joint influence of ACEs, resilience, and emotional intelligence on DBDs, and this explained approximately 36.7% of the variance in DBDs. Among the predictors, adverse childhood experiences had a significant positive influence on DBDs, and emotional intelligence was a significant negative predictor. The study concluded that DBDs are highly prevalent among adolescents in Lagos State and are significantly influenced by ACEs and psychosocial functioning. Resilience emerged as a key protective factor.
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