Influence of Peer Relationship on Self-Consciousness and Social Adaptation of School-Aged Children

: This study aimed to assess the influence of peer relationships on the self-consciousness and social adaptation of school-aged children in the Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State. A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was used, with a population of 60,780 (29,968 males and 30,812 females). A multi-stage sampling method was employed to select 602 school-aged children from 58 schools in the Local Government Area, forming the sample for the study. For data collection, the study used questionnaires. Data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The findings revealed that more than half of the respondents (62.6%) showed moderate social adaptation, particularly when they were with their families (mean score of 4.53±2.31). The majority (76.6%) had low peer relationships, while 80.6% had high self-consciousness. The mean scores for peer relationships, self-consciousness, and social adaptation differed between male and female respondents. Females had higher peer relationships and social adaptation. The mean score for peer relationships was higher among students in private schools compared to those in public schools. A moderate positive relationship was found between peer relationships and social adaptation at a significance level of p<0.05. It is recommended that governmental and non-governmental organizations organize programs to facilitate peer relationships and social adaptation among school-aged children. Furthermore, teachers and parents should be educated to provide support to children in these


Introduction
According to the United Nations' Institute for Statistics (2021) report, the world population consists of 661,761 thousand school-aged children.The American Academy of Pediatrics (2020) defines school-aged children as individuals between the ages of 6 and 12.This age group is commonly referred to as middle childhood, which is when many children begin formal schooling.By this stage, children around the world are receiving some form of education.As children enter and progress through school, their cognitive and social skills are assessed (World Bank, 2021).This highlights the significant role that school plays in a child's life.It contributes to their overall growth and personality development through positive interactions, exposure to new experiences, character building, fostering communal harmony and socialization, and facilitating social development (Jackie, 2019).In 2018, Nigeria had 22.4 million school-aged children enrolled in public elementary schools and 5.5 million in private schools (Simona, 2021).
Middle childhood is a stage where children begin to take on expanding roles and engage in various environments.They spend more time in school and other activities, leading to increased interactions with their peers (Centers for Disease control and Prevention, 2021).Peer relationships become increasingly important during this time.Peer relationships involve how individuals of the same rank, value, quality, or ability communicate, feel, behave, and interact with each other.It is a connection between individuals of the same age, social position, abilities, or standing.Peer theory and empirical research have demonstrated that peers play a crucial role in children's social development and have a significant impact on their self-concept and healthy personality formation (Wu et al., 2011).According to Pepler and Bierman (2018), peer relationships provide a unique context for children to learn vital social-emotional skills such as empathy, cooperation, and problem-solving strategies.The influence of peer relationships at school can greatly contribute to the social adaptation and self-awareness of school-aged children.
Social adaptation, as defined by Sam (2013), is the process of adjusting to the demands, restrictions, and morals of society in order to live in harmony.It involves actively regulating one's behaviors to achieve a state of balance and coordination with the external environment (Yin et al., 2021).The level of social adaptation reflects an individual's social and psychological maturity.School-aged children are at a crucial stage of psychological maturity, and their social adaptation status not only impacts their psychological health development but also influences interpersonal harmony and social stability (AlZboon, 2013).A child's social competence for social adaptation depends on various factors, including their social skills, social awareness, and self-confidence.Factors such as self-confidence or social anxiety can affect a child's social adaptation (Encyclopedia of Children's Health, 2021).Among the influencing factors, self-consciousness is particularly prominent (Xin et al., 2019).According to Keromnes et al. (2019), self-consciousness refers to the awareness of one's own body in relation to time, space, and interactions with the environment, including others.It encompasses the understanding that an individual has an identity that develops over time through interactions with others.Self-consciousness is crucial for the development of identity.During the school-aged years, children begin to think about themselves in a new way.They evaluate themselves, their performance, and their achievements, often comparing themselves to their peers (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2014).Boivin (2014) states that early difficulties in peer relationships are associated with various adjustment problems, such as school dropout, delinquency, and emotional issues like loneliness, depression, and anxiety.However, the evidence for the long-term consequences of peer difficulties experienced during the school-aged years is limited, as other potential causes, such as personal or environmental factors, have not been ruled out.Nevertheless, risks of maladjustment in children with early behavioral and emotional problems seem to be heightened by peer rejection.According to Healthy People (2020), children in middle childhood are at risk for conditions such as developmental and behavioral disorders, child maltreatment, asthma and other chronic conditions, obesity, dental caries, and unintentional injuries.While these conditions are typically nonfatal, they have a significant impact on children's education, relationships with others, and the health and well-being of the adolescents and adults they will become.In Nigeria, little is known about the prevalence of peer relationships among school-aged children, its determinants and consequences, and the mediating role played by prevalent stereotypes on the social adaptation of school-aged children.This lack of knowledge may be due to the implicit and subconscious nature of these factors.Therefore, it is crucial to understand the extent to which this trend affects the self-consciousness of school-aged children, which is the purpose of this study.

Statement of Problem and Rationale
Children who are in school have very important relationships with their peers, which greatly impact their social adaptation and self-consciousness.However, there is a lack of research on this subject in Enugu North Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, Nigeria.As a result, little is known about how peer relationships affect the social adaptation and self-consciousness of school-aged children in this area.Therefore, it is necessary to conduct research in Enugu North to investigate this influence.Understanding how peer relationships affect the socialization and self-consciousness of school-age children is crucial for many stakeholders.This study can serve as a springboard for parents, enabling them to foster their children's social development.Teachers can also benefit from the findings by creating more welcoming and encouraging classrooms.Furthermore, policymakers can utilize the results to support the implementation of initiatives and regulations aimed at enhancing the social welfare of children.

Purpose of the Study
The broad objective of the study was to assess the influence of peer relationship on the social adaptation and self-consciousness of school aged children in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.The specific objectives of the study were to: (a) Determine the peer relationship status of the school aged children.

Hypothesis
The study tested the following null hypothesis: HO1: There are no significant differences in the mean scores of male and female school-aged children on peer relationship, social adaptation and self-consciousness.
HO2: There are no significant differences in the mean scores of private and public school-aged children on peer relationship, social adaptation and self-consciousness.

Design for the Study
A descriptive cross-sectional survey design was employed in this study because it allows for the comparison of different variables simultaneously from a cross-section of the population.

Ethics Statement
The researchers obtained ethical clearance to carry out this study from the Department of Home Science and Management and the Department of Home Economics and Hospitality Management Education, both at the University of Nigeria.Verbal assent was received from the participating children, while written informed consent was obtained from the parents and school heads before commencing the study.

Area of the Study
The study was conducted in the Enugu North Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State, Nigeria.The administration of Enugu North LGA is based at its administrative center on Opkara Avenue.The LGA is made up of four districts, namely Amaigbo Lane, Onuato, Umunevo, and Ihenwuzi.According to the 2006 census, its land area is 106 km2 and its population is 244,852 individuals (National Population Commission, 2006).

Population and Sample
The study population consisted of school-aged children in Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State.According to the Annual School Census (2019), there were 60,780 primary school pupils in 290 primary schools in Enugu-North Local Government Area in Enugu State, Nigeria.The selected pupils were the respondents for the study.A multi-stage sampling method was used to select the eligible school-aged children for the study.It involved cluster sampling of the schools into private and public clusters.Simple random sampling without replacement was used to select 5% of schools in each cluster, resulting in a total of 3 schools from the public cluster and 12 schools from the private cluster, for a total of 15 schools.The sample size for the study was determined using the WHO (2013) formula for sample size calculation, resulting in a total sample size of 602.Proportionate sampling was used to determine the number of school-aged children in each of the selected schools who participated in the study.The final stage involved a random selection of the children present on the day of the visit, with consent obtained from their parents and teachers, and they were given a questionnaire to fill out.

Instrument for Data Collection and Study Procedure
A structured questionnaire was used to collect data, which included items on the socio-economic/demographic characteristics of the respondents.Three standardized questionnaires were also used: the Peer Relation Questionnaire for children (PRQ; Rigby & Slee, 1993), the Self Consciousness Scale (SCS;Fenigstein et al., 1975), and the Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS; Bosc et al., 1997).The PRQ is a 20-item questionnaire with three subscales: bullying, victimization, and pro-social behavior.The items are rated on a 4-point Likert scale.The SCS is a 22-item questionnaire that measures individual differences in private self-consciousness, public self-consciousness, and social anxiety.The SASS consists of 21 items and is used to assess children's social adaptation level.The reliability of the instruments was ascertained using Cronbach's alpha reliability test, with coefficient scores of 0.48 for the PRQ, 0.63 for the SCS, and 0.70 for the SASS.

Data Collection Technique
Trained research assistants distributed a total of 602 questionnaires to the selected children after obtaining written consent from their parents.The purpose of the study and the process of answering the questions were explained to the respondents.Each question on the questionnaire was read aloud and explained, and the respondents were encouraged to tick the correct answer.The questionnaires were filled out on the spot, with each questionnaire taking about 15 minutes to complete.Two research assistants assisted in the data collection.The research took 8 weeks to complete, and a total of 594 questionnaires were retrieved, resulting in a return rate of 98.7%.

Data Analysis Technique
The collected data were sorted, cleaned, and coded.The SPSS version 23.0 was used to analyze the data.For peer relationship, raw scores were categorized as low or high.The same categorization was applied to the sub-categories of bullying, victimization, and pro-social behavior.For self-consciousness, raw scores were categorized as low or high, as well as for the sub-categories of private self-consciousness, public self-consciousness, and social anxiety.For social adaptation, raw scores were categorized as low, medium, or high.Results were presented as frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations.T-tests, chi-square tests, and Pearson correlation coefficient were used to test hypotheses and check relationships between variables.Significance was accepted at 95% precision (p<0.05), with decision rules set at specific mean scores for peer relationship, self-consciousness, and social adaptation.

The socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents
The socio-demographic characteristics of the respondents revealed that 41.4% of the respondents were from public schools, while 58.6% were from private schools.Among them, 57.9% were female and 42.1% were male.The majority of them (55.9%) were between the ages of 9 and 11, while the smallest percentage (3.4%)fell into the age range of 6 to 8. Most of the children (85.2%) had both of their parents married and living together, while a few of them (4.7%) had separated parents.A higher percentage of children (55.6%) considered their classmates as their best friends, while a lower percentage (5.4%)considered their teacher as their best friend.In terms of grade level, 51.7% of the school-aged children were in primary six, while 48.3% were in primary five.

Peer Relationship Status of the Children
Table 1 shows the peer relationship status of the school-aged children.It can be observed that the majority of the children (76.6%) had a low peer relationship, while only 23.4% had a high peer relationship status.When it comes to categorizing the peer relationship status, a higher percentage of children (95.8%) had a low bully status, while only 4.2% had a high bully status.Approximately 81.6% were less likely to bully, while 18.4% had a high victim status.In terms of pro-social behavior, 17.2% had a low pro-social status, while the majority (82.8%) had a high pro-social status.

Self-consciousness Level of the Children
Table 2 displays the self-consciousness levels of the respondents.Only a small proportion of school-aged children (20.5%) exhibited low levels of private self-consciousness, while the majority (79.5%) displayed high levels.Similarly, a lower percentage (13.6%)demonstrated low levels of public self-consciousness, with the majority (86.4%) showing high levels.Approximately 48.0% experienced low levels of social anxiety, while a greater percentage (52.0%)exhibited high levels.

Social Adaptation Level
Table 3 indicates the level of social adaptation among the children.It can be seen that the majority of school-aged children (62.6%) had a medium level of social adaptation.Additionally, 36.7% had a high level of social adaptation, while only 0.5% had a low level of perceived social support.This support primarily came from their family, friends, and a few significant others.

. Influence of Peer Relationship on Self-Consciousness and Social Adaptation of the Children
Table 4 shows the relationship among peer relationships, self-consciousness, and social adaptation in school-aged children.According to the table, there is a positive and significant relationship between peer relationships and self-consciousness (r=0.104*,p< 0.05).Additionally, there is also a positive and significant relationship between peer relationships and social adaptation (r=0.201**,p< 0.05).This suggests that as the children's peer relationship status improves, their level of self-consciousness and social adaptation also increase.

Hypothesis 1:
There are no significant differences in the mean scores of male and female school-aged children on peer relationship, social adaptation and self-consciousness.Table 5 reveals that the mean peer relationship score of the school-aged females (26.51±3.99)was significantly different from that of the school-aged males (28.02±4.68),p<0.05.Also, the mean social adaptation score of the school-aged females (90.43±12.24)differed from that of the males (91.18±13.05),p<0.05.However, the self-consciousness score of the school-aged males (74.56±10.83)was not significantly different from that of the females (76.51±10.39),at p>0.05.The females exhibited higher levels of peer relationship and social adaptation compared to the males.This suggests that the null hypothesis is supported for self-consciousness but rejected for peer relationship and social adaptation.Therefore, it can be inferred that the peer relationship and social adaptation of school-aged children vary by gender.

Hypothesis 2:
There are no significant differences in the mean scores of private and public school-aged children on peer relationship, social adaptation and self-consciousness.
Table 6 shows that the mean peer relationship score of school-aged children in private schools (43.65) was significantly different from those in public schools (45.45), with a significance level of p<0.05.Public school students had stronger peer relationships compared to their counterparts in private schools.However, the mean social adaptation score of students in private schools (90.37) did not differ significantly from those in public schools (92.89), with a significance level of p>0.05.Similarly, the mean self-consciousness score of school-aged children in public schools (74.91) was not significantly different from those in private schools (75.82), with a significance level of p>0.05.In terms of peer relationship, public school students had stronger relationships compared to private school students.This suggests that the null hypothesis is supported for self-consciousness and social adaptation, but rejected for peer relationship.Therefore, it can be inferred that the type of school attended by school-aged children affects their peer relationships.The study recorded more female school-aged children than males.According to research from the Higher Education Policy Institute on boys' underachievement, girls and boys often have different cultural attitudes towards school work (Richardson, 2016).Quoting OECD research, Hillman sand Robinson (2016) states, "boys are 8% more likely to regard school as a waste of time than girls."Boys also tend to spend over one hour less per week on homework than girls and are more likely to play computer games than study.This report is supported by Richardson (2016).Another assertion by Gnaulati (2014) and Corsetti (2018) supports this, showing that girls tend to put more effort into their studies because they believe their future success depends on their grades.Boys, on the other hand, have many alternative opportunities and paths to success that do not solely rely on good grades, such as landscaping, construction work, plumbing, and electrical work, which are all male-dominated careers that require non-traditional schooling (Corsetti, 2018).
More than half of the school-aged children had best friends.This is because friendship forms a significant part of their lives at this stage.According to Maunder and Monks (2019), best friendships are often treasured in childhood.Children in these relationships spend a lot of time together and develop very close bonds.The majority of children have their classmates as their best friends, likely due to the proximity and peer relationships they have with their classmates who are the same age and see each other every day.Peer groups play important roles in socialization in school, as the group members are of the same age, and pupils interact with each other within a strict frame of reference (Dopplinger, 2014).Gandhi (2015) also supports this, stating that children in school have plenty of time to get to know each other and develop strong bonds with select friends.
In the study, 80% of the school-aged children had a high status of peer relationships.This percentage is lower than the research conducted by Lu (2020), where 85.15% of students maintained relatively stable peer relationship development.In the first two levels, 52.04% of students had good friendships.A small number of students (11.17%) had lower than average peer relationships, with 19 (2.50%) subjects showing extremely poor peer relationships and high friendship fear status.This variation could be attributed to their relationships at home with parents and siblings, the parents' own relationship, and the family's levels of social support.The children displayed high pro-social behavior, with helping others being their most outstanding characteristic.Prosocial behaviors have been found to be positively associated with academic outcomes and parenting practices (Carlo et al., 2018;Pastorelli et al., 2016), and they transcend cultures.The findings of this study align with previous research.
The findings of this study revealed high self-consciousness among school-aged children in the studied area.This could be attributed to social anxiety and childhood experiences faced by this group.Low self-esteem can cause high self-conscious emotions, which may be a result of mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, borderline personality disorder (BPD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (Gotter, 2017).High levels of self-consciousness can be associated with both psychological well-being and distress (DaSilveira et al., 2015).Excessive self-consciousness can lead to depression, anxiety, and even personality disorders.Signs that a child may be struggling with self-consciousness include social isolation, anxiety, selfishness, introspection, brooding, self-absorption, avoiding social events, extreme anger and hostility, blaming others, and feeling responsible for others' mistakes (Simon, 2020).Low self-esteem or thinking others are better are signs of self-consciousness that should be cause for concern.
The findings of this study revealed medium social adaptation among school-aged children in the studied area.This could be due to factors such as health status, intellectual features, temperament, personality, and educational status of parents, as well as residence in the city.A study by Nicholas and Geers (2003) shows that considerable levels of social adaptation are being observed in school-aged children aged 4-6.However, a study by Erikson (Zaar, 2021) contradicts these findings and shows that children in middle childhood have high social adaptation.They are very industrious and busy, constantly engaging in activities, planning, playing, spending time with friends, and achieving.This is a very active time for them, and they are gaining a sense of how they measure up compared to their friends.
In this study, the researchers found a positive and significant relationship between peer relationships and self-consciousness, as well as social adaptation.This means that as peer relationships increase, so does self-consciousness in the study area.On the other hand, as peer relationships decrease, social adaptation also decreases.This indicates that the interactions school-aged children have with their peers can have either a positive or negative impact on them.According to Rubin et al. (2015), regularly spending time with another person and interacting with them in certain ways can lead to the development of social relationships.The quality of these interactions can influence the type of relationship formed between peers.Positive interactions, such as helping and sharing, can lead to positive thoughts and feelings towards the other person, attraction, and the desire to develop a meaningful and supportive friendship.This study by Rubin confirms that peer relationships among school-aged children have an impact on their social adaptation and self-consciousness.
The findings of this study showed that the average score for peer relationships among school-aged females was significantly different from that of school-aged males.The same was true for social adaptation.However, there was no significant difference in self-consciousness scores between males and females.Females had higher scores for peer relationships and social adaptation compared to males.This suggests that gender influenced how children in the study area related to their peers and adapted to their social environment.Martin and Ruble (2010) supports this idea by showing that gender is important to young children's identities and perceptions of others, and they socialize each other's gendered behaviors.This can happen directly or indirectly, such as through spending more time with peers and becoming more similar in interests, behaviors, and interaction styles.Also, a study by Maleki et al. (2019) also supports these findings as it was found that girls exhibited more social skills than boys.
The findings of this study also showed that the average score for peer relationships among school-aged children in private schools was significantly different from that of those in public schools.Children in public schools had higher scores for peer relationships compared to those in private schools.However, there was no significant difference in social adaptation and self-consciousness scores between the two types of schools.This suggests that the type of school attended in the study area influenced peer relationships.A study conducted by Green et al. (2018) supports these findings.The study, which involved children, showed that privately educated children had higher levels of self-esteem, locus of control, professional aspirations, and access to valuable networks compared to public school children at ages 10 and 16.To promote positive self-consciousness and social adaptation, counseling programs should be included in school curricula.These programs can help children develop coping strategies that will benefit them in the future.Individuals with unhealthy self-consciousness are more likely to engage in social vices, and may be prone to depression and anxiety, which can affect their performance and behavior.Encouraging activities like debates and talk shows that foster social interactions among school-aged children can also be beneficial.These activities promote peer relationships and ultimately increase social adaptation.

Conclusion
The school-aged children in the studied area were mostly females.They experienced a high level of peer relationships, a medium level of social adaptation, and a high level of self-consciousness.Socio-demographic factors that influenced social adaptation included the marital status of parents, family condition, occupation of the father, occupation of the mother, child's position in the family, and who their best friend is.Gender, age, current class in school, and having a best friend had no influence on their social adaptation.Gender affected the way the children related to their peers and adapted to their social environment.There was a significant difference in the mean peer relationship score and social adaptation score between school-aged females and males, while the self-consciousness score of school-aged males was not different from that of females.Females had higher peer relationship and social adaptation scores than males.The mean peer relationship score of school-aged children in private schools was significantly different from that of children in public schools, with children in public schools having higher peer relationship scores.The mean social adaptation and self-consciousness scores did not vary between private and public schools.Children in public schools had higher peer relationship scores than those in private schools.The government and society should provide well-equipped and conducive environments for the education of school-aged children, which will increase student attention and focus, promote meaningful learning experiences, encourage higher levels of student performance, and motivate students to practice higher-level critical thinking skills.School authorities should assist in identifying children who exhibit signs of anxiety, depression, and isolation from others, and refer them for psychological assistance.Parents should try to avoid negative influences on their children's self-consciousness, peer relationships, and social adaptation.
(b) Assess the self-consciousness level of the school aged children.(c) Ascertain the social adaptation status of the school aged children.(d) Assess the influence of peer relationship on self-consciousness and social adaptation of school aged children.

Table 1 :
Frequency and percentage scores on the Peer Relationship Status of the school-aged

Table 2 :
Frequency and percentage scores on the Self-consciousness Level of the school-aged

Table 3 :
Frequency and percentage score on the social adaptation level of the school-aged children

Table 4 :
Relationships among peer relationship status, self-consciousness level and social adaption level of the school-aged children ** correlation is significant at 0.01 level (2-tailed) * correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

Table 5 :
Mean difference in the peer relationship, social adaptation and self-consciousness scores of F = frequency; t = t test value; p = level of significance (P< 0.05), df = degree of freedom

Table 6 :
Mean difference in the peer relationship, social adaptation and self-consciousness scores of the school-aged children based on type of school F = frequency; t = t test value; p = level of significance (P< 0.05), df = degree of freedom