PATERNITY DISPUTES AND DELINQUENT BEHAVIOUR AMONG STREET CHILDREN IN MAJOR TOWNS IN AKWA IBOM STATE, NIGERIA

Paternity disputes in Nigeria arise due to a parent's suspicious attitude toward a child'sbehaviour or appearance, especially if the child exhibits traits or characteristics that theparent believes are not consistent with their own. This suspicion may be fueled by doubtsabout fidelity or the possibility of infidelity during pregnancy. In some cases, the child'sphysical resemblance to another man or certain behavioural traits may trigger concernsabout the child's biological paternity. The implications of this often leads to divorce,stigmatisation, rejection, and forced eviction. This study examined how paternity disputespredisposes street children to delinquent behaviour in major towns in Akwa Ibom State. Thisstudy was guided by the assumptions of the Frustration-Aggression Theory, developed byJohn Dollard, Neal Miller, Leonard Doob, Orval Mowrer, and Robert Sears in 1939, thedescriptive survey design was adopted. The research locations were Uyo, Eket, and IkotEkpene towns in Akwa Ibom State, and 200 street children aged 7-17 years, who relied on thestreets for survival were involved in the study. The stratified, purposive, and conveniencesampling techniques were employed in the selection of street children. Data collected throughFocused Group Discussions and In-depth Interviews were transcribed and analysedthematically. The results revealed that paternity disputes contributed to street children'ssusceptibility to delinquent behaviour in major towns in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria, byfostering rejection, neglect, and stigmatisation, which led to homelessness, psychologicaldistress, and engagement in delinquent activities as a means of survival and socialintegration.