Overt victimization and maladjustment is a drawback that is affecting most adolescents in Secondary schools in Cameroon for the past years which has been grossly neglected in Sub Sahara Africa. This study was on how overt victimization leads to psychosocial maladjustments among adolescents in secondary schools in Cameroon (North West, South West, Central, and Adamawa). The research method adopted for this study was mixed method with a concurrent nested design. The sample was made up of 594 students from twelve schools, 24 administrators from these schools and twelve focus groups from twelve schools. The instruments used in collecting data were a questionnaire and focus group discussion with students, and an interview for school administrators. Data obtained were analyzed descriptively and inferentially using cross tabulations, frequencies, percentages and multiple response sets. Findings showed that overt victimization significantly predicts psychosocial maladjustment of adolescents in secondary schools (P < 0.001). The positive sign of the correlation value (R= 0.347**) implied that adolescents are more likely to suffer from psychosocial maladjustments when there is constant or persistent occurrence of overt victimization in the school environment. It was concluded that overt victimization leads to psychosocial maladjustments among adolescents in secondary schools in Cameroon. Based on the findings, it was recommended that curbing overt victimisation and fostering adolescents adjustment in school is a joint effort by parents, teachers, school Chaplin’s, administrators, discipline masters| mistresses and school counsellors through advocacy and organizing seminars which create awareness on deteriorating effects of over victimization.
Overt victimization, psychosocial maladjustment, adolescents
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