MARITAL CONFLICTS AS CORRELATE OF SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT AMONG SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN ABIA STATE

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between marital conflicts and social adjustment among

senior secondary school students in Abia State, focusing on gender differences, using a

correlation survey design and collecting data of 878 students from 8783, through Marital

Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ) and Social Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ). The Marital

Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ) and Social Adjustment Questionnaire (SAQ) were validated by experts and tested for reliability, yielding stability coefficients of 0.742 and 0.841, and internal consistency coefficients of 0.676 and 0.773, respectively. Pearson’s  correlation and linear regression analysis were used for data analysis. The findings showed among others that there is a high positive correlation between marital conflict and social adjustment of senior secondary school students. It equally showed that there was no significant relative contribution of gender on the relationship between marital conflicts and students’ social adjustment. The study therefore concluded that marital conflicts to a very high extent correlate with the social adjustment of senior secondary school students in Abia State. Based on the findings and conclusion, the study recommended among others that Government and school proprietors should employ and have at least a Psychologist or a school Counsellor to help the students to resolve their social adjustment challenges.