ABSTRACT
The study examined the
influence of domestic violence on family relationship among couples in
Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State. Descriptive research survey
design was used, while a self-designed questionnaire was used as the major
instrument.
A total of 102
respondents were sampled. Four null hypotheses were formulated and tested using
the independent t-test statistical tool at 0.05 level of significance.
At the end of the
analyses, the result shows that:
1. There is a significant difference between domestic violence and
family relationship among new couples and the aged ones.
2. There is a significant difference between
domestic violence and family relationship among Christian and Muslim families
in Oshodi/Isolo Local Government Area of Lagos State.
3. There is a significant difference between
the emotional stability of children of parents who engaged in domestic violence
and those who do not.
4. There is no significant difference in the
prevalent rate of domestic violence among male and female spouses in the area.
TABLE
OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Certification ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgements iv
Abstract v
Table of contents
vi
CHAPTER
ONE: INTRODUCTION 1
1.1
Background
to the Study 1
1.2
Theoretical
Framework 5
1.3
Statement
of the Problem 10
1.4
Purpose
of the Study 10
1.5
Research
Questions 11
1.6
Research
Hypotheses 11
1.7
Significance
of the Study 12
1.8
Scope
of the Study 13
1.9
Definition
of Terms 14
CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 15
2.1
Concept
and nature of Domestic violence 15
2.2
The
effect of Domestic violence on children 18
2.3
Response
to Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment 22
2.4
Laws
on Domestic Violence 23
2.5
General
Effects of Violence 25
2.6
Appraisal
of Literature Review 34
CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 35
3.1 Research Design 35
3.2 The population of study 36
3.3 Sampling Procedure 36
3.4 Sample Size 36
3.5 Instrument 36
3.6 Administration of Instrument 37
3.7 Validity of the Instrument 37
3.8 Reliability of the Instrument 38
3.9 Procedure for Data Analysis 38
CHAPTER
FOUR 39
Hypothesis
Testing 39
Summary
of Findings 43
CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY,
CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 44
5.1
Summary
of the study 44
5.2
Conclusions 45
5.3
Recommendations 46
5.4
Suggestion
for further studies 47
References
48
Appendix 51
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1
Background to the Study
Domestic abuse is a
problem that is entrenched in many society across the globe and Nigeria is not
exception. Research in this area has shown that this type of violence has
touched the lives of many Nigerian couples. Although societal awareness and
condemnation of the issue has increased in recent years. Domestic violence
remain a hidden and persistent problem because of the power and control held by
the abuser, the fear, intimidation and humiliation suffered by the victim of
this crime.
The oldest and most
prevalent institution in the world today is the marriage institution. In all
culture, there is a particular sanctity attached to this institution, so much
that it is particularly considered to be a building block of any society.
The pivotal position of
marriage has made domestic violence a subject of interest to various
disciplines, government, religious sects and professional associations.
American Psychological
Association (APA) (1996) defined domestic violence as a pattern of abusive
behaviour including a wide range of physical, sexual, and psychological
maltreatment used by a person in an intimate relationship against another to
gain power unfairly or to maintain that person misuse of power, control and
authority. If the abuse between intimate partners in which one person tries to
control the other person through violence. Domestic violence is other wise
called spousal abuse.
The role of spouse in
family relationship is significant, such that some people have acclaimed it to
the power of surviving family adjustment. However, this role has its own
problems. some spouses have been found to be abused in various forms, ranging
from sexual to financial abuse and communicative abuse. All these have
implication on family relationship.
Domestic violence
occurs in traditional heterosexual marriages, as well as in some sexual
partnership. The abuse may occur during a relationship, while the couple is
breakup, or after the relationship has ended. The key elements of domestic
violence are: intimidation, humiliation and physical injury. Going by the
definition of domestic violence couples engage in it to control the other
partner and keep him/her from departing or quitting the relationship.
A critical look at the
definition of domestic violence will reveal that they assume the dimension of
portraying women as the victims bearing the brunt, while men are seen
perpetrators.
This could be as a
result of the widely held beliefs that women are the weaker sex while men are
by right, the head of the family that must be obeyed.
Nigeria as a country has her own fair share of
domestic violence, which could be seen in the rate of divorce, separation and
marital dishonesty in the country.
According to Ajila
(2000) in his study on wife beating in western Nigeria, it was found that 32%
of women indicated that they have experienced abuse, 21% believe strongly that
wives should be beaten while 72% believe that wives should be beaten once in a
while.
Bakare (1986)
identified marital conflict to exist along a particular continuum which are:
1.
Occasional
verbal quarrels
2.
Frequent
verbal quarrels
3.
Occasional
physiological quarrel
4.
Frequent
physical quarrel
5.
Psychological
separation
6.
Physical
separation
7.
Divorce
A close look at this
shows that a particular couple is expected to go through the whole stages, but
it is not necessarily so in all situations. Some couples get to the divorce
stage without going through physical quarrels and physical separation, while
some resolve the conflict completely before it gets to divorce stage.
Researchers indicated
domestic violence, through prevalent in Nigeria is still largely under
reported, if reported at all. The causes of domestic violence can be seen in
two broad categories.
The traditional causes
are those factors that are commonly seen and discussed as leading to fighting
among couples. They are immediate causes that can be pin pointed as leading to
violence in the home. These include, among others, sex role, sexual
dissatisfaction and infidelity, ego message, feeling of staying control, income
petibility, religion conflict, alcohol consumption, money matters,
childlessness, influence of inlaws etc.
Secondly contemporary
causes of domestic violence are those underlying remote factors that are not
easily seen or implicated, yet they influence violence behaviour in marital
relationship.
Domestic violence has
now become a common phenomenon. It should be noted here that as husbands abuse
their wives so also wives abuse their husbands (Steinmetz, 1977). It is only
the degree that varies.
The question then is
how well has domestic violence or abuse has been able to achieve its end going
by the high rate of family discord, divorce, separation etc experienced today?
Base on the above
picture, the study is to determine the influence domestic violence on family
relationship among couple in Oshodi Local Government Area of Lagos State.
1.2
Theoretical Framework
Three theoretical
models will be used to explain domestic violence and neglect in family
relationships:
1.
Resource
Theory
2.
The
Patriarchy Theory
3.
General
System Theory
Resource
Theory
The resource theory of
family violence propounded by Goode (1971) assumes that all social systems
(including the family) rest to some degree on force or the threat of force. The
more resources – social, personal and economic a person can command, the more
force that individual can muster. However, according to Goode (1971), the more
resources a person actually has, the less that person will actually use force
in an open manner. Thus, a husband who wants to be dominant person in the
family, but has little education, has a job, low prestige and income, and lacks
interpersonal skills may choose to use violence to maintain the dominant
position.
According to Nadin
(1998) employed women are less depended on abusive partners and better able to
extricate themselves from harmful relationships. Women are not absolved from
this social vice of heart breaking. Some women (especially those of superior
economic standings to their male counterparts) are tempted to play domineering
role in the family such a way that their husbands have to play the second
fiddle in a home, where they are supposed to be the head of the family.
In the incidence of
domestic violence on family relationship, the causal few in most cases include
infidelity, sex role, sexual dissatisfaction, feeling of stay in control,
influence of inlaws, economic handship, lack of education among others. For
instance, women that are not allowed to work tend to stay in an abusive
relationship because, their husbands sometimes gain economic and psychological
control over them. According to Nadin (1998) employed women are less dependent
on violent partners and better able to extricate themselves from violence
relationships.
The
Patriarchy Theory
The patriarchy theory
according to Dobash and Dobash (1979) is that economic and social process
operate directly and indirectly to support
patriarchal (male dominated) social order and family structure).
The central theoretical
argument is that patriarchy leads to subordination and oppression of women and
causes the historical pattern of systematic violence directed against wives.
The patriarchy theory
finds the source of domestic violence in society at large and how it is
organized as opposed to within individual families or communities.
Globally, and in every
culture, men have been seen and celebrated as superior to their female
counterparts. Traditionally, the arrival of male child into a family is seen as
a special blessing to such home. It is not uncommon, most especially among
Africans to pry and earnestly expect a male child irrespective of the number of
the female children in the families. The central belief is that male children
are by all standard superior to their female counterparts and should be treated
as such.
This situation is
buttressed also by the social order and family structure. Almost in every
social strata, male men are mostly favoured for significant posts. The affair
of family living is also conferred superiority on the men. This has helped
shape the behaviour and perception of men as superior to the female
counterparts and has largely contributed to their violent behaviour against
wives in family relationships.
In most cases, wives
also tries to prove that they are never inferior, when this happen the
consequence is domestic violence with its many evil effects on family
relationship.
General
System Theory
General System Theory,
a social system approach was developed and applied by Straus (1973) and Jean
(1983) to explain family violence. Here violence is viewed as a system product
rather than the result of individual pathology. The family system operation can
maintain, escalate or reduce levels of violence in families. The theory
describes the processes that characterize the use of violence in family
interaction and explains the way in which violence is managed and stabilized.
Straus argues that a general system theory of family violence must include at
least three basic elements:
1.
Alternative
causes of action or causal flow.
2.
The
feedback mechanism that enable the system to make adjustments and
3.
System
goals.
1.3
Statement of the Problem
It has been found that
various forms of domestic violence exist in some family relationship and has
degenerated into various marital problems among which are child negligence,
communication gaps, destruction of property, divorce, separation and ultimately
death.
Base on the above
picture, this study is therefore meant to determine the influence of domestic
violence on family relationship among couples in Oshodi Local Government Area
of Lagos State.
1.4
Purpose of the Study
The primary purpose of
this study are to:
(1) Determine the difference between domestic
violence and family relationship among new and aged wedded couples in Oshodi
Local Government Area of Lagos State.
(2) Find out the difference between domestic
violence and family relationship among Christian and Muslim couples in the
area.
(3) Investigate the emotional stability of
children of parents who engaged in domestic violence and those who do not.
(4) Examine the prevalent rate of domestic
violence among male and female spouses in the area.
1.5 Research Questions
This study provides answer
to the following questions:
(1)
What
is the difference between domestic violence and family relationship among new
and aged wedded couples in Oshodi Local Government Area of Lagos State?
(2)
What
is the difference between domestic violence and family relationship among
Christian and Muslim couples in the area?
(3)
Is
there any difference between the emotional stability of children of parent who
engage in domestic violence and those who do not?
(4)
What
is the prevalent rate of violence among male and female spouses in the area?
1.6 Research Hypotheses
The hypotheses that
guide the study are as follows:
(1)
There
will be no significant difference between domestic violence and family
relationship among new and aged wedded couples in Oshodi Local Government Area
of Lagos State.
(2)
There
will be no significant difference between domestic violence and family
relationship among Christian and Muslim couples in Oshodi Local Government Area
of Lagos State.
(3)
There
will be no significant difference between the emotional stability of children
of parents who engaged in domestic violence and those who do not.
(4)
There
will be no significant difference in the prevalent rate of domestic violence
among male and female spouses in the area.
1.7
Significance of the Study
The outcome of this
study will be of great benefit to the married couples, marriage counsellors,
children of violent couples and the society at large.
With reference to the
married couples, the finding of this study will help them identify some of this
evil effects of violence not only on them as perpetrators but also on everyone
who maintains intimate relationship with them such as their children and
extended family members or friends. Thus, be able to control their anger.
Also, marriage
counsellors will be able to identify the various forms of violence among
couples and be able to provide adequate counselling assistance whenever the
need arises.
On the other way,
children of violent couples will be exposed to the right attitude to violent
behaviour of their parents so as not to grow up as perpetrators of domestic
violence. These children will also be educated on the need to always develop
healthy emotional life inspite of the violent circumstance prevailing among
them.
The society at large
will be made to the damning effects of domestic violence on family
relationship. It will also assist the society to see and accept marriage as a
loving relationship that should be devoid of humiliation, intimidation, threat
and physical injury.
1.8
Scope of the Study
This study basically
covered married couples in Oshodi Local Government Area of Lagos. Oshodi Local
Government Area of Lagos is predominantly the commercial nerve centre of the
state with all its inhabitants from all social classes of the Nigerian economy.
1.9
Definition of Terms
1.
Domestic Violence: Domestic violence which is otherwise
refer to as spousal abuse is described as when adults in a relationship misuse
power to control another whereas such establishment of control in the
relationship is through violence and other form of abuse. It is also defined as
a pattern of abusive behaviour including a wide range of physical sexual and
psychological maltreatment used by one person in an intimate relationship
against another to gain power unfairly or to maintain the person misuse of
power, control and authority.
2.
Family Relationship: This is defined as the relationship of
trust, love and care existing between couples who have agreed to co-exist as
husband and wife. It is the foundation or bedrock of all other societal
relationship. Family relationship is expected to last till death do couples
part.
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