PERCEIVED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, RESILIENCE AND LOCUS OF CONTROL ON DEVIANT BEHAVIORS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN KEFFI, NASARAWA STATE, NIGERIA

The study examined Perceived Relationship between Childhood Trauma, Resilience and Locus of Control on Deviant Behaviors among Secondary School Students in Yelwa, Keffi Local Government, Nasarawa State, Nigeria. It adopted the survey research design and the random sampling technique to select 270 students Yelwa, Keffi Local Government, Nasarawa State, Nigeria.  A well-constructed questionnaire was used for collection of data from the participants. The data obtained through the administration of the questionnaire was analyzed using the Pearson correlation analysis and t-test analysis to analyzed gender difference respectively. Consequently, four hypothesis were tested using Pearson Moment Correlation and the results showed that there is positive and significant relationship between childhood trauma and deviant behaviour (r=0.503; p<0.05). Furthermore, a positive and significant relationship Resilience and deviant behaviors (r=0.616; p<0.05). A positive and significant relationship between locus of control and deviant behaviors (r=0.520; p<0.05). Also, result revealed for hypothesis three, shows that, there exists a significant gender difference (t = .353, df = 168, P < .05) indicates that the difference observed in deviant behavior between the genders is unlikely to have occurred by chance alone. The study concluded that, the study's results, in alignment with a significant body of prior research, likely confirmed that childhood trauma, resilience and locus of control plays a substantial role in predisposing adolescents to deviant behaviors. The study recommended that; Clinical Psychologist should provide trauma-informed care, including therapy and counseling, to affected students. Schools should create safe and supportive environments. Train teachers to recognize and address the signs of trauma and Government should allocate resources for mental health services in schools and communities.