HEALTH SEEKING BEHAVIOR AS A PREDICTOR OF ADOLESCENTS SECURITY CONSCIOUSNESS

Nigeria is witnessing a disturbing rise of violence occasioned by religious, political, economic, cultural, and social motives. The incidence of violent crimes has created an unimaginable insecurity situation in the country, and the trend is increasing daily. Violent insecurity ranges from kidnapping, rape, armed robbery, terrorism, banditry, and assassinations. Meanwhile, the citizens, especially the younger ones, are caught in the center of these violent situations as they are either used to commit crimes or fall victims of violent crimes. Thus, the primary purpose of this study was to examine health-seeking behavior as a factor that could predict security consciousness among adolescents. The study adopted a cross-sectional survey design. Two hundred samples randomly pooled from public tertiary institutions in Kogi State, Nigeria, participated in the study. The participants completed self-report measures of security consciousness questionnaire and health-seeking behavior scale. A simple regression model established a statistically significant association between HSB and security consciousness among adolescents. The study concludes that health-seeking behavior is an essential determinant of security consciousness. The practical implication of the study is discussed.