Social media and emotional abuse in marriage: Evidence from Lagos State, Nigeria

Abstract

Emotional abuse among married couples is one of the social vices Nigeria is contending with currently, especially in Lagos State, one of the most prominent of the country’s 36 political subdivisions. The problem is heightened by the ignorance of the abused persons and low visibility or non-availability of research on the subject. This descriptive study investigates the awareness and attitude of married couples toward emotional abuse in the social media environment, using Facebook as the intervening platform. Eighty-eight respondents out of 100 attended to questionnaire items, which produced the data that helped test four hypotheses, using the descriptive and inferential statistical tools. Results, among others, showed that at the pre-intervention stage, married men and women’s level of awareness of emotional abuse in marriage was minimal, with an attendant similar receptive attitude towards it. At the post-intervention stage, the awareness increased although their attitude becomes less receptive. Despite the increased awareness, evidence exists to show that there is still a lot to be done in creating more awareness, leading to the recommendation that couples should consciously seek information on the malaise for more profound insight to avoid becoming victims. Marriage counsellors should also emphasize the nature of emotional exploitation in marriage to enable potential victims to detect abuse signals and take safety measures. (Afr J Reprod Health 2021; 25[5s]: 68-79).