TABLE OF CONTENT
Title page
Approval page
Dedication
Acknowledgment
Abstract
Table of content
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
1.2 Statement of problem
1.3 Objective of the study
1.4 Research Hypotheses
1.5 Significance of the study
1.6 Scope and limitation of the study
1.7 Definition of terms
1.8 Organization of the study
CHAPETR TWO
2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
CHAPETR THREE
3.0 Research methodology
3.1 sources of data collection
3.3 Population of the study
3.4 Sampling and sampling distribution
3.5 Validation of research instrument
3.6 Method of data analysis
CHAPTER FOUR
DATA PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION
4.1 Introductions
4.2 Data analysis
CHAPTER FIVE
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Summary
5.3 Conclusion
5.4 Recommendation
Appendix
Abstract
Persons raised in divorced families tend to have less positive attitudes towards marriage, and more positive attitudes towards divorce. This negative attitude about marriage leads to decreased commitment to romantic relationships, which in turn is related to lower relationship quality. Divorce can also affect children's sexual behavior, thereby compromising their emotional and relational stability. The main objective of this study is to examine the effect of divorce on the mindset of teenager/youth about marriage. In the course of the study 300 youth were drawn randomly as the population of the study from the study area
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the study
Parental divorce often leads to low trust among children, and those who casually date exhibit “the strongest effects of parental divorce, suggesting that the repercussions of parental divorce may be in place before the young adults form their own romantic relationships.” Susan (2001) The divorce of their parents makes dating and romance more difficult for children as they reach adulthood. Parental divorce horrifies young adults’ heterosexual relationship experiences though the connection is more evident for women than for men, according to one study. Susan (2001)
These effects carry into adulthood. When compared with women from intact families, women from divorced families also reported less trust and satisfaction in romantic relationships. Children of divorced parents fear being rejected, and a lack of trust frequently hinders a deepening of their relationship. One study showed that individuals whose parents divorced were more likely than individuals whose parents remained married to believe that relationships were beset by infidelity and the absence of trust, and they were also more likely to believe that relationships should be approached with caution Daniel (2007). Parental divorce often leads to low trust among children, and those who casually date exhibit “the strongest effects of parental divorce, suggesting that the repercussions of parental divorce may be in place before the young adults form their own romantic relationships.” The divorce of their parents makes dating and romance more difficult for children as they reach adulthood. Parental divorce horrifies young adults’ heterosexual relationship experiences though the connection is more evident for women than for men, according to one study. These effects carry into adulthood. When compared with women from intact families, women from divorced families also reported less trust and satisfaction in romantic relationships. Children of divorced parents fear being rejected, and a lack of trust frequently hinders a deepening of their relationship. One study showed that individuals whose parents divorced were more likely than individuals whose parents remained married to believe that relationships were beset by infidelity and the absence of trust, and they were also more likely to believe that relationships should be approached with caution.
Nearly half of marriages today end in divorce (Amato & Irving, 2006; Cherlin, 2009). It is therefore important to examine how young adults from family contexts marked by parental divorce cope with the task of developing their own romantic relationships. The cognitive-developmental model proposes that youth develop cognitive representations from their relational experiences and these cognitive representations are activated in relevant social situations (Bartell, 2006; Collins & Read, 1994; Furman & Simon, 1999). Specifically, cognitive representations consist of memories of past experiences and observed relational experiences, including parental divorce. Such representations are hypothesized to influence youth’s beliefs, attitudes, and expectations about self and others, which, in turn, affect how they perceive and behave in their own relationships. Similarly, social learning theory (Bandura, 2007) also predicts that observing parental divorce can shape young adults’ attitudes toward divorce and involvement in their own romantic relationships. Both the cognitive-developmental model and social learning theory suggest that parental divorce does not necessarily affect young adults’ attitude toward divorce uniformly but rather likely depends on young adults experience of their parents’ divorce, including the level of interparental conflict and marital quality before the divorce. Furthermore, it is likely that relationship commitment is similarly affected by parental divorce. Specifically, if a romantic relationship is viewed as something that is expendable and best terminated when inevitable difficulties arise, there is little incentive to have a strong commitment to the relationship. Therefore, young adults may develop patterns of leaving a less than satisfying relationship rather than work on the relationship based on modeled behavior from their parents.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Divorce has been on the rise in Nigeria especially in the urban centres in the recent years. The children and adolescents entangled in parental divorce mostly have no say in the process yet the divorce equally affects them as much as it affects the parents involved. In some instances, the divorce affects an individual’s commitment to long term relationships for a life time where this commitment declines (Ackerman, 2006). There are varying reasons why some marriages have become ineffective in the current society leading to a breakdown of the marriage institution. Adolescents who experience parental divorce are greatly affected by the changes happening in their families. In most cases, these children have been living together with both parents so parental divorce brings with it challenges and changes that they have to cope with such as living only with the custodial parent in addition to all the bodily changes they are dealing with as they get into puberty. The presence of a mother and a father are all crucial in bringing up a wholistic adolescent. The absence of one of the parents poses a major threat to the well-being of the adolescent in regards to their social, emotional, intellectual and emotional well- being according to Wolfinger (2005). This study will investigate the effect of parental divorce on adolescents’; the focus being on the social, emotional, intellectual and spiritual dimensions of the wellness model in Nigeria
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
The study has two objectives; the general objective and the specific object; the general objective is to examine the effect of divorce on the mindset of teenager/youth about marriage, the specific objectives are:
- i) To examine the effect of divorce on the mindset of teenagers/youth about marriage
- ii) To examine the impact of parental divorce on the future relationship of their children
iii) To ascertain if there is any significant relationship between parental divorce and teenagers mindset towards marriage
- iv) To proffer suggested solution to the identified problem
1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
The following research questions were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study;
- i) Is there any effect of divorce on the mindset of teenagers/youth about marriage?
- ii) Do parental divorce have any impact on the future relationship of their children?
iii) Is there any significant relationship between parental divorce and teenager's mindset towards marriage?
1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESES
The following research hypotheses were formulated by the researcher to aid the completion of the study;
H0: parental divorce does not have any impact on the future relationship of their children
H1: parental divorce does have an impact on the future relationship of their children
H0: There is no significant relationship between parental divorce and teenager's mindset towards marriage
H2: There is a significant relationship between parental divorce and teenager's mindset towards marriage
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
It is believed that at the completion of the study the findings will be of great importance to the marriage counselor as the findings of the study will aid will aid them in counseling the adult on the effect of divorce on their children future relationship. The study will also be of great importance to researchers who intend to embark on a study on a similar topic as the findings will serve as a reference point to further research. The study will also be useful to teachers, students, lecturers, academia's and the general public as the study will contribute to the pool of existing literature and also contribute to knowledge on the subject matter.
1.7 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
The scope of the study covers the effect of divorce on the mindset of teenager's youth about marriage, but in the course of the study, there are some factors that limited the scope of the study;
- a) Financial constraint– Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).
- b) Time constraint– The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work
- c) AVAILABILITY OF RESEARCH MATERIAL: The research material available to the researcher is insufficient, thereby limiting the study.
1.8 OPERATIONAL DEFINITION OF TERMS
Divorce
Divorce, also known as dissolution of marriage, is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage
Mindset
In decision theory and general systems theory, a mindset is a set of assumptions, methods, or notations held by one or more people or groups of people. A mindset can also be seen as incident of a person's world view or philosophy of life
Adolescence
Adolescence is a transitional stage of physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to legal adulthood.
Parental Divorce
Divorce is the legal dissolution of a marriage. Parental divorce is linked to children’s loss of the family unit of a mother, father and children. According to Brooks (2011), the changes of divorce that include new households, changes in finances, changes in parents’ plus adolescents’ mood or behavior and increased responsibilities cause stress to all the parties involved.
1.9 STRUCTURE OF THE STUDY
This research work is organized in five chapters, for easy understanding, as follows
Chapter one is concern with the introduction, which consist of the (overview, of the study), historical background, statement of problem, objectives of the study, research hypotheses, significance of the study, scope and limitation of the study, definition of terms and historical background of the study. Chapter two highlights the theoretical framework on which the study is based, thus the review of related literature. Chapter three deals on the research design and methodology adopted in the study. Chapter four concentrate on the data collection and analysis and presentation of finding. Chapter five gives summary, conclusion, and recommendations made of the study
