Role of Peer Pressure and Home Environment in Adolescent’s Antisocial Behaviour: A Qualitative Study

Adolescents’ antisocial behaviour is one of the serious problems of society. Increasing levels of antisocial behaviours are a national concern. The present study aims to identify the possible role of peer pressure and home environment as antecedents of antisocial behaviour among adolescents. The sample included 20 male adolescents aged 10-18 years residing in rehabilitation homes. The kind of antisocial behaviuor that adolescents indulge in related to petty crime, serious crime, and heinous crime. Data were collected through in-depth interviews. Thematic network analysis was used for analyzing the data. The results of the study showed that peer pressure and home environment play an important role in the development of antisocial behaviour in adolescents. Peer pressure as an antecedent identified four basic themes, namely: peer pressure for substance abuse, peer pressure for theft, peer pressure for rape, and peer pressure for violence. Home environment as an antecedent of adolescent’s antisocial behaviour identified five basic themes: broken home, family disputes, parental neglect, domestic violence, and substance-abusing parents. Findings of the present study play an important role in drafting policies, developing a program for reducing antisocial behaviour, and strategies to enhance psychological well-being of antisocial adolescents.