CHALLENGES OF DIVORCE AS PERCEIVED BY MARRIED ADULTS IN IJUMU LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KOGI STATE: AN AGENDA FOR VALUE RE-ORIENTATION

Abstract

Divorce is defined as the final dissolution of a marriage through formal legal procedures. In modern society, divorce is on the rise as a method of starting a family. This study looked on married adults' perceptions of the difficulties associated with divorce in Ijumu L.G.A., Kogi State. The impact of age and gender was also investigated in this study. To direct the study's activities, a single research topic was posed, and two related hypotheses were developed and put to the test. A descriptive survey strategy was used in this investigation. Through simple random selection, 200 married individuals in Kogi State's Ijumu Local Government Area were chosen as responders. The participants answered the "Challenges of Divorce Questionnaire (CDQ)," a questionnaire created by the researcher. The test-retest reliability of the instrument was 0.75. The collected data was examined using descriptive and inferential statistics. The t-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) statistical techniques were used to evaluate the hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance, with percentages representing the demographic data. According to the data, married people in Ijumu LGA rated social isolation, loneliness, and constant concern as the three most challenging issues after divorce. Married persons in Kogi State's Ijumu Local Government Area saw divorcees' hardships significantly differently depending on their age. The following recommendations were made based on the study's findings: To help divorcees avoid loneliness and its negative consequences, individuals close to them, such as relatives and friends, should offer them the proper support. Counsellors should provide divorcees with appropriate coping mechanisms, such as advice on enhancing family ties, developing communication skills, and maintaining a healthy atmosphere, to help them deal with the difficulties of anxiety and psychological disturbance. In addition to teaching engaged and married couples about potential causes of separation or divorce, marriage counsellors should equip them with social life and communication strategies that can help prevent divorce. Parents or married adults should collaborate to strengthen their marriage.