PREVALENCE AND PATTERNS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AMONG MARRIED ADULTS IN ILORIN METROPOLIS, KWARA STATE

Abstract

Domestic violence at home has been a source of concern among couples which it effects on families and the society are enormous. In view of this, this study investigated the prevalence and patterns of domestic violence among married adults in Ilorin, Kwara State. Descriptive survey design was adopted for this study and simple random sampling technique was adopted to draw a total sample of 145 married adults from Ilorin metropolis. The instrument used in collecting data for this study was a questionnaire entitled "Questionnaire on Prevalence and Patterns of Domestic Violence (QPPDV)”. The instrument was validated and 0.82 was obtained for its test re-test reliability. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that domestic violence is not prevalent among married adults in Ilorin metropolis and the patterns of domestic violence include physical abuse, economical/financial abuse and verbal abuse among others. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that comprehensive and extensive premarital counselling should be given to intending couples on how to manage their marital relationship.