Abstract:
The bullying behaviour of adolescents has been discussed by researchers, families, the government, doctors, and lawyers. It is alarming and upsetting that bullying among teenagers occurs frequently throughout the world. This study explores how assertiveness training and group behaviour therapy can support the emotional growth of bullied students at a military boarding secondary school in Ibadan, Oyo State. The study used a 3x2x3 factorial matrix with a control group, pretest-posttest, quasi-experimental design. 60 victims of harassment who had been chosen at random from three schools in three senatorial districts in Oyo state, Nigeria, made up the samples. Three experimental groups were created for the participants (Group Behaviour Therapy (GBT), assertiveness training (AT) and control). Three instruments used for data collection were: Emotional stability scale (? =0.79); Anxiety Scale (? =0.87); and Self-Esteem Scale (? =0.73). The administration of treatments lasted eight weeks for the experimental groups. Seven hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data were analysed using Analysis of Covariance. There was a significant main effect of treatments on emotional stability among victims of bullying (F (2, 48) = 4.111, p < .05, ?2= .246). Participants exposed to GBT (x?= 19.66) had the highest emotional stability mean score, while the AT group (x?= 19.50) and control group (x?= 8.76). Participants with high anxiety (x?= 15.93) recorded the least emotional stability mean score, followed by those with moderate self-esteem (x?= 16.16) and those with low esteem (x?= 15.16). Anxiety had a significant main effect on emotional stability among victims of bullying (F(2,48)= 0.323, p>0.05, ?2= 0.013), participants with high anxiety displayed lower (x?= 19.505) emotional stability mean score than those with low anxiety (x?= 20.059). Treatment and self-esteem did not have a significant interaction effect. The effects of treatment, anxiety, and self-esteem on each other in a three-way interaction did not produce any significant results. Group Behaviour Therapy and Assertiveness Training enhanced emotional stability, although Group Behaviour Therapy was more effective. It is therefore recommended that secondary school students should be exposed to the rudiment of group behaviour therapy as procedures of fulfilling the requirement for orientation once the students start schools.
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