EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS A PREVENTIVE AND PROTECTIVE FACTOR AGAINST DOMESTIC VIOLENCE OF MARRIED EMPLOYEES IN FEDERAL CAPITAL TERRITORY, ABUJA

Abstract

This study investigated Emotional Intelligence (EI) as a protective and preventive factor against Domestic Violence (DV) amongst married employees in Municipal Area Council of FCT, Abuja. The study was aimed at ascertaining the relationship between EI and DV amongst participants with a view to identifying potential strategies for preventing and intervening in domestic violence situations. Adopting a quantitative survey design, the study was guided by two research questions, one hypothesis. Purposive-random sampling technique was used to select 100 married employees to participate in the study. Researchers’ made instrument titled “Emotional Intelligence and Domestic Violence Scale” (EIDVS) was used for data collection. The content and construct validity of the instrument was ascertained by experts in faculty of education. Its reliability was determined using Cronbach Alpha that yielded a coefficient index of 0.78. Descriptive statistics of mean and standard deviation as well as inferential statistics of Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation were used to analyze the data. The findings of the study showed a high prevalence of DV amongst participants and a significantly negative correlation between EI and DV, indicating that higher EI is associated with lower experiences of DV. Thus, the study recommended among other things that counsellors should incorporate EI assessment into clients’ evaluation and design and implement EI-based interventions to address domestic violence among couples