Relationship Between Utilization of Peer Counselling Services and Decision Making among Adolescents in Selected Secondary Schools in Thika Sub County, Kiambu County, Kenya.

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the utilization of peer counselling services and decision-making among adolescents within selected secondary schools in Thika sub-county, Kiambu County, Kenya. Acknowledging the emotional turmoil adolescents go through while making decisions in this developmental phase, the researcher endeavoured to understand whether the levels of uptake of peer counselling services provided in school can affect such a crucial process. The researcher had several specific objectives including determining the levels of utilization of peer counselling services of students in these schools, assessing their decision making, and testing the relationship between peer counselling and the decision making of these adolescent students. The study employed a correlational cross sectional research design. The research used a sample size of 267 students from Thika Garrison Secondary School and Gatuanyaga Secondary School. This study used quantitative methods to collect data using questionnaires. The questionnaire comprised three sections: sociodemographic information, a survey on the utilization of peer counselling services, and the Adolescent Decision-Making Questionnaire. Data was collected from the two schools denoting A and B. Data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 26, software with both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics were employed to measure group differences from the demographic data while inferential statistics were adopted to test the relationship between study variables. The study revealed that peer counseling services are widely known and accessible among adolescent students, with nearly all respondents aware of the service and many finding it easy to access. Teachers play a pivotal role in promoting peer counseling, as most students learned about the services through them. While the majority of students utilize these services, there is still potential to encourage more consistent attendance. Among the recommendations of the study were that schools should create awareness campaigns or incentive programs to encourage more frequent and consistent attendance, emphasizing the long-term benefits of peer counseling on academic, social, and emotional well-being. Similarly, schools should collaborate with psychologists and counselors to develop specific programs aimed at family dynamics, improving students' ability to navigate family challenges through counseling.