INFLUENCE OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON NURSING MOTHERS AMONG WOMEN IN CROSS RIVERS STATE, NIGERIA: IMPLICATION FOR GUIDANCE

Abstract

The study investigated the influence of domestic violence on nursing mothers among women in Cross River State. The descriptive survey research design was used for the study. The population of the study consist of 27,497 nursing mothers in Cross River State. Based on the formula of Glenn (2012) table of sample specification, a sample of 394 was used. The instrument for data collection was a questionnaire titled Domestic Violence on Nursing Mothers Questionnaire; (DVNMQ). The instrument was face and content validated by two experts in the department of Guidance and Counselling, faculty of Education, Nasarawa State University, Keffi. The data collected were subjected to statistical analysis based on the research question and null hypothesis. The hypotheses were tested using t-test. Findings from the study showed that domestic violence in Cross Rivers State takes forms of physical attack on nursing mothers, abusing nursing mothers verbally and harassed sexually. The study shows that urban and rural nursing mothers did not differ significantly in the dominant forms of domestic violence. The finding from the study showed that domestic violence against nursing mothers have some consequences such as humiliation by husbands, difficult to adjust in the society and health complications. The findings of the study further revealed that there is no significant difference between urban and rural nursing mothers in the perceived role of the victims of domestic violence in Cross River State, Nigeria. The study recommended that all the stakeholders through Cross Rivers State ministry of health should be organising seminars and orientations for spouses on the danger of domestic violence and how to avoid it.