Influence of domestic violence and parenting style on children’s psychological well-being

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of domestic violence and parenting style on psychological well-being of children. Four hundred and thirty-one (431) participants (two hundred and fifty females and one hundred and eighty-one males) were selected from four primary schools in Uyo metropolis using purposive sampling technique. Participants’ ages ranged between 8 and 13 years and the mean age was 10.36. Three instruments were used for data collection: Children’s Exposure to Domestic Violence Scale, Parental Authority Questionnaire, and the Ruff Psychological Well-Being Scale. A 2 x 3 factorial design was adopted for the study and data obtained were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Two hypothesis were tested in the study and the result of the first hypothesis showed a significant influence of domestic violence on children’s psychological well-being [F (1,226) = 10.2; P<. 05]. The result of the second hypothesis showed that there was no significant influence of parenting style on children’s psychological well-being [F (2,226) = 1.83; P>0.5]. The result further revealed that there was no interaction effect between domestic violence and parenting style in predicting children’s psychological well-being [F (2,226) = .45; P>.05). The findings of the study were discussed in line with existing literature. Parents were advised to seek counseling from qualified and competent counsellors on how to manage or resolve conflict so that it does not escalate into violence.

Keywords: Domestic violence, parenting style, psychological wellbeing and children.