Types, Prevalence And Causes Of Domestic Violence Among Selected Couples
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Types, Prevalence And Causes Of Domestic Violence Among Selected Couples
ABSTRACT
The study looked at the kinds, prevalence, and causes of domestic violence among chosen couples in Mushin Local Government Area, Lagos State. The study examined linked material under several subheadings.
The descriptive research survey was utilised to assess respondents’ perspectives, using both the research questionnaire and the sampling technique.
A total of 100 people were surveyed. Four null hypotheses were developed and assessed at the 0.05 level of significance using ANOVA for hypotheses 1 and 2, and Pearson product moment correlation for hypotheses 3 and 4. The analyses yielded the following results:
(1) that there is a link between the years of marriage and couples’ domestic violence in the society,
(2) Religion will play a big effect in the frequency of couple marital violence in the home.
(3) There is a considerable association between domestic violence and newlywed couples in the family, and
(4) The study found a substantial association between domestic violence and older married couples.
Based on the findings of this investigation, the following suggestions were issued:The government should raise public awareness about domestic abuse by informing people about their rights and the laws that govern those rights. In addition, social workers should ensure that victims of domestic violence and their children are safe-guided through a program known as “Save the Children,” which addresses the children’s conditions in marriages devastated by domestic violence.
Chapter one
1.1 Background for the Study
Domestic abuse is a widespread problem, and Nigeria is no exception. Research in this area, such as that conducted by Eneh et al. (2005), has revealed that this type of violence has scarred many Nigerian couples. Domestic violence persists due to the abuser’s power and control, as well as the victim’s fear, intimidation, and humiliation (Okere, 2000).
Marriage is the world’s oldest and most popular institution. This institution is held in high regard in all cultures, to the point where it is seen as a fundamental pillar of society.
Domestic violence has piqued the interest of numerous disciplines, governments, religious sects, and professional associations due to marriage’s key role (Arldine, 1994).
Domestic violence, as defined by the American Psychological Association (APA) (1996), is a pattern of abusive behaviour that includes a wide range of physical, sexual, and psychological maltreatment used by one person in an intimate relationship against another to gain unfair power or to maintain the misuse of power, control, and authority.
The spouse’s position in family relationships is so important that some people consider it a surviving family adjustment. However, this function is not without its issues.
Some partners have been discovered to be mistreated in a variety of ways, including sexual, financial, and communication abuse. All of these have implications for family relationships (Ayo, 2001).
Domestic violence happens in both typical heterosexual marriages and in some sexual partnerships. The abuse can occur during or after a relationship has ended. The primary components of domestic abuse are intimidation, humiliation, and physical injury. According to the definition of domestic violence, couples participate in it to control the other partner and prevent him or her from leaving or exiting the relationship.
A critical examination of the definition of domestic violence reveals that it takes the form of portraying women as victims suffering the brunt of the abuse, while males are portrayed as perpetrators.
This could be due to widely held notions that women are the weaker sex, whereas men are the rightful leader of the household and must be respected. Nigeria has its fair share of domestic violence, as seen by the country’s divorce, separation, and marital dishonesty rates.
According to Ajila (2000), in his study on wife beating in western Nigeria, 32% of women reported experiencing abuse, 21% strongly feel that spouses should be beaten, and 72% believe that wives should be hit on occasion.
Bakare (1986) characterised marital conflict as existing along a specific continuum, which is:
1. Occasional verbal conflicts.
2. Frequent verbal conflicts.
3. The occasional physiological conflict.
4. Frequent physical conflicts.
5. Psychological Separation
6. Physical Separation
7. Divorce.
A closer look reveals that while a certain couple is expected to go through all stages, this is not always the case. Some couples reach the divorce stage without experiencing physical quarrels or physical separation, whilst others resolve the problem fully before reaching the divorce stage (Anyanwu, 2004).
According to researchers such as Rhodes, Adamson, and Arnolds (2000), domestic violence, while pervasive in Nigeria, is still significantly underreported, if at all. Domestic violence has two broad causes. Traditional sources of conflict in relationships include culture, ethnicity, and religion.
These are the immediate causes that can be identified as contributing to domestic violence. These include, among other things, sex roles, sexual dissatisfaction and adultery, ego massage, financial inequality, religious differences, alcohol consumption, money issues, childlessness, in-law influence, and so on (Adekoya, 2005).
Second, contemporary causes of domestic violence include remote factors such as frequent verbal quarrels, occasional physiological quarrels, frequent physical quarrels, and psychological separation, which are difficult to see or implicate but influence violence behaviour in marital relationships.
Domestic violence has become a widespread occurrence. It should be highlighted that, just as husbands abuse their spouses, wives also abuse their husbands (Steinmetz, 1997). Only the degree varies.
The question is, how well has domestic violence or abuse been resolved? Has domestic violence resolved the issues of family dissension, divorce, and separation that exist today?
Based on the above image, the study aims to investigate the impact of domestic violence on family relationships among couples in Musin Local Government Area, Lagos State.
1.2 Theoretical Framework
Three theories will be utilised to explain domestic violence and neglect in family relationships:
1. Resource Theory.
2. The Patriarchal Theory
3. General System Theory.
Resource Theory
Goode’s (2001) resource theory of family violence holds that all social systems, including the family, are based on some degree of force or the fear of force.
The more resources a person has – social, personal, and economic – the more power that person can wield. However, Goode (2001) claims that the more resources a person has, the less likely he or she is to employ force openly.
Thus, a spouse who wishes to be the dominant figure in the household but has minimal education, a job, low prestige and wealth, and poor interpersonal skills may choose to use violence to preserve his dominant position.
According to Nadin (1998), employed women are less reliant on violent spouses and better equipped to leave dangerous relationships. Women are not immune from the social vice of heartbreak.
Some women (particularly those with higher economic status than their male counterparts) are inclined to play a domineering role in the family, forcing their husbands to play second fiddle in a home where they are expected to be the head of the family.
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