Influence of Parental Separation and Its Health Implications

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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents Pages
COVER PAGE i
TITLE PAGE ii
CERTIFICATION PAGE iii
APPROVAL PAGE iv
DEDICATION v
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS vii-x
LIST OF TABLES xi
LIST OF FIGURES xii
LIST OF APPENDICES xiii
ABSTRACT xiv-xv
CHAPTER I-INTRODUCTION 1
Background of the study 1-2
Statement of the problem 2-3
Purpose of the study 3
Significant of the study 3
Scope of the study 4
Research questions 4
Hypotheses 5
Assumptions of the study 5

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CHAPTER II- REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6
- Conceptual framework 7-8

- Theoretical framework 8-14
- Review of Related Empirical Studies 15
a Concept of parental separation 15-16
b Types of parental separation 16-17
c Causes of parental separation 17-18
d Consequences of parental separation 18
e Implications of parental separation on Sexual health 18-19
f Implications of parental separation on Interpersonal relationship 19
h Implications of parental separation grooming 19-20
i Effects of parental separation on Emotional Stability 20
- Summary of literature reviewed 20-21
CHAPTER III- METHODOLOGY 22
Research design 22
Area of the Study 22-23
Population of the Study 23
Sample and Sampling technique(s) 23
Instrument for data collection 23
Validation the instrument 23-24
Reliability of the instrument 24

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Administration of the instrument 24
Data analysis techniques 24
CHAPTER IV – PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS 25
Hypothesis 1 29
Table 5 30
Interpretation 30
Hypothesis 2 30
Table 6 31
Interpretation 31
Hypothesis 3 31
Table 7 32
Interpretation 32
Hypothesis 4 32
Table 8 33
Interpretation 33
CHAPTER V – DISCUSSION OF RESULTS, SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Discussion of Results 34-35
Summary of the Study 36-37
Conclusions 37
Implications of the findings 37
Recommendations 38
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Limitations of the study 38
Suggestions for Further Research studies 38-39
REFERENCES 40-44
APPENDICES 45-50
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LIST OF TABLES
Tables Pages
Table 1: Descriptive analysis on sexual health 25
Table 2: Descriptive analysis on interpersonal relationship 26
Table 3: Descriptive analysis on grooming 27
Table 4: Descriptive analysis on emotional stability 28
Table 5: Pearson’s analysis of parental separation on sexual health 29
Table 6: Implication of parental separation on interpersonal relationship 30
Table 7: Implication of parental separation on grooming 31
Table 8: Implication of parental separation on emotional stability 32

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LIST OF FIGURES
Figures Pages
Fig 2:1 Conceptual framework on parental separation 7
Fig 2:2 Theoretical model of the impact of marital dissolution on children’s 9
Physical health
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Pages
Appendix A: Questionnaire on influence of parental separation and its health 45-47
implication among junior secondary school students
Appendix B: Calculated reliability of the instrument 48
Appendix C: Letter of approval to collect data for the study 49
Appendix D: List of schools used for the study 50

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ABSTRACT
The study investigated the influence of parental separation and its health implications among junior
secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. In Nigeria, most homes
are not intact as a result of series of issues ranging from death to marital infidelity. This has
resulted in the separation of couples and children. The purpose of the study was to:
find out the implication of parental separation on sexual health, examine the implication of
parental separation on interpersonal relationship, assess the implication of parental separation
on grooming and to determine whether parental separation will affect emotional stability.
The research design for the study was survey design of the descriptive research. The sample
size of three hundred and fifty (350) respondents was used for the study. Ten public schools were
purposively selected for the study. The non-proportionate stratified random sampling technique
was used to select thirty five (35) respondents from each school. The instrument used for the
study was a 30- item structured questionnaire. A test-retest methosd was employed to ascertain
the reliability of the instrument, using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation. A coefficient of
1.0 was obtained at 0.05 level of significance. The descriptive statistics involving frequency
counts and percentages were used to answer the research questions. The generated hypotheses
were tested using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). All the hypotheses were
tested at 0.05 level of significance.
Four hypotheses were formulated for the purpose of the study which are: There will be no
significant implication of parental separation on sexual health among junior secondary school
students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state, there will be no significant implication of
parental separation on interpersonal relationship among junior secondary school students in
Ikere local government area of Ekiti state, there will be no significant implication of parental
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separation on the grooming of junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area
of Ekiti state and parental separation will not significantly affect the emotional stability of junior
secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. All the hypotheses
formulated were rejected.
The study concluded that parental separation has implication on sexual health among the
respondents. Parental separation has implication on interpersonal relationship among the
students. There was implication of parental separation on grooming among the respondents and
that Parental separation affects the emotional stability of the respondents. The researcher
recommended that the federal government through the national orientation agency should
provide orientation for parents concerning the implication of marital separation on the sexual
health of their children. The federal government should establish centers for family guidance and
counseling and the introduction of marriage mentoring programs for young married couples.
Health educators should enlighten parents through seminars and health talks on the implication
of divorce on grooming. Magistrate court in Nigeria should intensify their effort on massive
campaign against divorce.

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CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Marriage is a social institution for union of a man and his wife in the body and soul. The
chief function of marriage is to provide a forum for affection emotional security from one
generation to another. In the marriage union, man and woman develop the full sense of
togetherness, belonging, responsibility and interdependence. Marriage is seen as a permanent
union of a man and woman done freely, founded on love and designed for companionship,
procreation and proper upbringing of the children. Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock,
is a socially or ritually recognized union legal contract between spouses that establishes rights
and obligations between them, between them and their children, and between them and their in-
laws (Ember, 2011). Morh, (2005) Described marriage as a legal contract and civil status, a
religions rite, and a social practice, all of which vary by legal jurisdiction, religious doctrine, and
culture.
Marriage exists to bring a man and a woman together as a husband and wife to be father
and mother to any children their union produces. The critical public or civil task of marriage is to
regulate sexual relationships between men and women in order to reduce the likelihood that
children and their mothers, and society will face the burdens of fatherlessness and increase the
likelihood that there will be a next generation that will be raised by their mothers and fathers in
one family, where both parents are committed to each other and to their children (Ryan, 2013).
Makinde (2004) asserted that the function of marriage is to provide happiness, security, cultural
growth and development of a sense of responsibility for enhancing continuity and societal
perpetration. Marriage can only be lawfully dissolved by death. In the last 4 decades the rate of
dissatisfaction in marriage are becoming higher which had led to different separation of homes.
Apart from dissatisfaction, death of either spouse has also led to some separation of parents and
this has resulted into different challenges, faced with by a child (ren) involved in such separation
(Audrey, 2011).
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Arinlade (2006) in a study carried out to know the causes and consequences of divorce in
Ilorin east and west local government of kwara state observed that separation and divorce have
become part and parcel of life of the society today and people are no longer attaching great
importance to the essence of marriage today. Divorce creates social instability and survival
problem for the society. More so, some children from divorced homes grow up to become social
misfits and later graduate into delinquents and criminals that may pose insecurity problems for
the nation. Divorce is usually perceived as the solution to difficult marital relationships
irrespective of the repercussion on the couple, children, adolescents and the society at large. It
can be a stressful experience affecting finances, living arrangements, household jobs, schedules,
parenting and the outcomes of children of marriage as they face each stage of development from
childhood to adulthood.
Makinde (2007) described adolescence as that period in every individual’s life which lies
between the end of childhood and the beginning of adulthood. Dictionary described adolescent as
the period following the unset of puberty during which a young person develops from a child
into adult. David (2013) described adolescence as one of the most dynamic stages of human
growth and development, and is second only to infancy in the rate of developmental changes that
take place. It is therefore a stage that requires special care, attention, love, understanding and
patience for the young adult. The home and the family play a great role in the development of the
adolescents. Researcher observed that the stressful nature of parental separation increases the
child’s chances of experiencing a wide variety of mental health problems, including aggression,
elevated anxiety, high rates of substance abuse and low self-esteem. It is therefore the aim of this
study to find out the influence of parental separation and its health implications among junior
secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state.
Statement of problems
We live in an era characterized by change which is the essence of life. Our family form
today is not the same as the form we used to have in the earlier period of the country. In Nigeria,
most homes are not intact as a result of series of issues ranging from death, quest for oversea
trips to make more money and at times, marital infidelity this has resulted in the separation of
couple and children.
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The psychological damage to children who are victims of parental separation is of much
concern as the children tend to be feeling depressed, feeling inferior, guilty and sometimes too
aggressive thereby leading to an all-round under performance of such children in their daily
activities. On interest social blog viewed recently, while checking divorce rate in Nigeria, it’s
alarming that divorce cases pending in the magistrate court are much that barristers had to start
recommending sensitization of couples of ten and often in other to reduce the pouring in of
divorce case files. These cases are not even with exceptions of notable personalities in the
society. Cases like this, if not looked into critically will put a child who is a victim at the risk of
being disturbed psychologically.
Ikere local government area of Ekiti state has its fair share in all the above mentioned and
the junior secondary school students mostly fall victim. This has prompted the researcher to
carry out research on the influence of parental separation and its implications among junior
Purpose of the study

The purpose of the study was to find out influence of parental separation and its implication
among junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. The
research work was carried out with the following aims;
1. to find out the implication of parental separation among junior secondary school students
in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state.
2. to examine the implication of parental separation on interpersonal relationship among
junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state.
3. to assess the implication of parental separation on the grooming of junior secondary
school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state.
4. to determine whether parental separation will affect the emotional stability of junior
Significance of the study
Specially, the study is find out the influence of parental separation and its implications
among junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. The study
will help to increase the awareness of parents on parental separation which will make them put
the interest of their children into consideration before going into separation. They will equip the
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students from separated parents to be able to manage their condition. The study will be of benefit
to teachers in order to make them better understand the aftermath of parental separation so as to
know how to treat students who are victims of parental separation. When the implications of
parental separation is spelt out in this study, the society will be more enlightened and it will help
reduce the number of parental separation in ikere local government area of Ekiti state. With the
help of this study magistrate court in Ikere local government will always find a means to settle
disagreement between couples rather than agreeing to separate them. Lastly, the outcome of this
study will serve as reference for further researcher.
Scope of the study
This study examined the influence of parental separation and its implications among junior
secondary school students. The study was delimited to Ikere local government area of Ekiti state.
Survey design of descriptive research was used for the study. The study involved independent
variable of parental separation and dependent variable of health implications which are sexual
health, interpersonal relationship, grooming and emotional stability.
The research was carried out using self-structured questionnaire and three (3) research
assistants who were trained by the researcher were made use of. Analysis of the data was done
using descriptive statistics of frequency counts and percentages to answer the research questions
while inferential statistics of Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to test the
hypotheses at 0.05 alpha levels.
Research questions
Specifically, this study therefore attempted to find answers to these research questions.
1. What is the implication of parental separation among junior secondary school

students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state?
2. Is there any implication of parental separation on interpersonal relationship among
junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state?
3. Would there be any implication of parental separation on the grooming of junior
secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state?
4. Will parental separation affect the emotional stability of junior secondary school
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Hypotheses
The following hypotheses were formulated for the purpose of this study
1. There will be no significant implication of parental separation on among junior

secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state
2. There will be no significant implication of parental separation on interpersonal
relationship among junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area
of Ekiti state
3. There will be no significant implication of parental separation on the grooming of
4. Parental separation will not significantly affect the emotional stability of junior
Assumptions of the study
The researcher assumed that separation of parents will affect a child though it may not last
long. Since the influence of parental separation is more intense at the time of separation and
decreases quickly thereafter, whereas material depression will continue and gradually decrease.
CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
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The review of literature for this study, influence of parental separation and its health
implications among junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti
state was carried out under the following sub-headings:
- Conceptual framework
- Theoretical framework
- Review of related empirical studies
Concept of parental separation
Types of parental separation
Causes of parental separation
Consequences of parental separation
Implications of parental separation on sexual health
Implications of parental separation on interpersonal relationship
Implications of parental separation on grooming
Effect of parental separation on emotional stability
- Summary of literature reviewed
Conceptual framework
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In the course of this study, the researcher developed a conceptual frame work for the study
coined sexual health, interpersonal relationship, grooming, emotional stability.
Independent variables Dependent variable Out come
Sexual health
Interpersonal relationship
Parental separation Improved
health status
Grooming
Emotional stability
Fig. 2:1 Conceptual framework developed by Orimaye Yetunde D. (2015)
Sexual health: is a state of physical, emotional, mental and social well-being in relation to
sexuality; it is not merely the absence of disease, dysfunction or infirmity sexual health requires
a positive and respective approach to sexuality and sexual relationships, as well as the possibility
of having pleasurable and safe sexual experiences, free of coercion, discrimination and violence.
For sexual health to be attained and maintained, the sexual rights of all persons must be
respected, protected and fulfilled (World Health Organisation [WHO], 2006).
Interpersonal relationship: close relationships are sometimes called interpersonal relationships.

The closet relationships are most often found with family and a small circle of best friends.
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Interpersonal relationships require the most effort to nurture and maintain. These are also the
relationships that give you the most joy and satisfaction.
Grooming: the things that you do to make your appearance tidy and pleasant. Child grooming is
befriending and establishing an emotional connection with a child, and sometimes the family, to
lower the child’s inhibitions for child sexual abuse.
Emotional stability: emotional stability refers to a person’s ability to remain calm or even keel
when faced with pressure or stress. Someone who is emotionally unstable is more volatile, which
means the person faces an increased risk of reacting with violent or harmful behaviors when
provoked.
Theoretical framework
The theory used for the study was Attachment Theory and was propounded by Harlow,
Bowlby and Ainsworth, (1969 ).The theory stated that attachment is a key aspect to determining
personality and behavior throughout an individual’s lifetime. The theory explained that divorce
and separation of attachment figures has yielded conflicting results. Children of divorce have
trouble adapting to different stages of their lives because of their experience with broken or
detached attachment bonds.
Theoretical model
Marital conflict Marital dissolution

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Vulnerability factors
Emotional dysregulation and emotional insecurity
Parental Practices
Reduced monitoring
Emotional Behavioural
Decline communication Cognitive
Modeling
(i.e depression, anger, anxiety) (I.e.
affectionaggressiveness, poor social (I.e. hospitality, suspiciousness)
and coping strategies)
Health-risk behaviors Dysregulated physiological and Impact over neurotransmitter

ehaviours stress response functioning.
ehaviours ehaviours
Physical Health Problems
Fig. 2:2 Theoretical model proposed by Troxel & Matthew (2004).
The theoretical model that was used was the bio psychosocial model of the impact of marital
dissolution on children’s physical health as proposed by Troxel and Mathew, (2004).
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The researcher chose the model because it was observed that there is a link between the
theoretical model, theoretical framework and the research topic. This is so because the
theoretical model explains the experience of parental divorce and problems of physical health
and psychological maladjustment in children who are victims of parental divorce. The
relationship keywords are divorce, children and health, interpersonal conflict, immunology,
stress.
In the late 1960s, Levine et, al developed an experimental animal model showing that early
stress experience may have effects over hormonal stress response in adulthood. However,
significant results have been found in investigations with humans regarding the relation between
exposure to an environment rich in stressors throughout the first year of life and psychophysical
vulnerability in later years. The experience of parental separation results in a decline in
individual and family well-being in children. A conflicted parental relationship is in itself, a risk
factor enough to generate a level of stress.
However, most investigations in the area suggest more risk factors for a negative adjustment
in the marital dissolution process, such as alterations in the family socioeconomic level, less
frequent contact with the parent who does not have parental rights, and interparental conflict. All
these factors, usually transversal to divorce, may have an impact over stress response and, later
on, over the physical and psychological health of the children implicated in this reorganization of
the family system. Although there’s empirical evidence on the impact of marital dissolution over
physical health, the scientific community has developed very few conceptual proposals of
correlation between both constructs.one of the rare theoretical proposals has been presented by
Troxel and Mathews, namely the bio-psychosocial model of the impact of marital dissolution on
children’s physical health.
Vulnerability and risk factors: Amato and Keith, (1991) have tried to identify the reasons
why divorce has negative effects on children, comparing children of intact families with children
who had experienced parental divorce. The results, consistent with later studies, underscore the
delimitation of five main risk factors in children’s adjustment responses to divorce:
i. Factors instrinsical to each child.
ii. Decline in financial security following divorce.

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iii. Psychopathological pictures of parents, depression is especially relevant.
iv. Conflict before and during the period of marital dissolution (Amato, 2001).
Children’s individual characteristics: Hetherington (2002), have consistently emphasized

two dimensions which are intrinsic to each child, during the process of adapting to separation:
temper and development level. Children who have an easy temper are intelligent, responsible and
socially sensible and are those who show the best capacity to positively adapting to this family
transition (Sobolewski, 2007). According to recent investigation, the quality of adaptation of
parental divorce seems to also be associated to the child’s developmental stage at the moment of
marital dissolution, although some caution must be exercise in regarding this correlation
(Campana, Henderson, Stolberg & Schum, 2008).
Children’s immature cognitive and emotional structures cause them to be, on one handless,
capable of realistically assessing the causes, processes, and consequences of divorce and, on the
other hand, centralize in themselves the responsibility for the marital disruption, in addition to
their inability to seek support from extra family sources in order to decrease their level of stress
(Barber,2006).
Family financial security: marital dissolution often leads to a decline in financial security.
Parents who have maintained custody of their children experience drastic decline in financial
resources available to provide for the family’s needs (Pilowky,2006).indeed, the decline in
financial security is one of the main risk factor for a child’s adaptation parental divorce, once a
reduction in family income may reflect upon their own real and subjective well- being, due to the
reduction of resources available for health care, education, after-school activities, access to
cultural and entertainment goods, and purchase of everyday products. Beyond immediate
consequences on the perceived quality of life levels, the financial hardships caused by divorced,
if persistent and long-term impact, once they prevent children from engaging in activities which
are essential to their cognitive and social –development (Noller,2008).
In a recent study, Fischer (2005) has concluded that a high income fathers contribute to
intensify the negative consequence of divorce in children’s academic performance, while income
mothers being granted custody in most cases are associated to milder adverse effect of the
divorce.
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Parental styles and co-parental relationship: according to the bio psychosocial model of
Troxel and Mathews (2004) alteration in family structure force children to interact with a context
of psychosocial stressing factor which can lead to risk for their physical health. Characteristics of
parental behavior have been associated to children’s level of adjustment, however, the impact of
parental styles in the adaptive pathways of children of divorced parents have not been the subject
enough empirical investigation, although some research has shown that parental practices are
particularly critical and could mediate the effect of family instability over children
(Bradford,2008).
According to Maccoby (1990), co-parenting is not limited to sharing responsibility for the
children’s education, once it implies that parents effectively cooperate by supporting each other’s
decisions and adopting them in their own individual relationship with their children. These
authors have identified three variations in co-parenting and uncommitted co-parenting.
Macie (2002), come to two essential conclusions:
I. The better and the higher the cooperation, respect and communication between parents in
conducting their children’s education, the better the adjustment of children will be, and
these elements operate as genuine protective factors within families and
II. The involvement of the parent who has not been granted custody, when marked by strong
and consistent emotional bond and a democratic parental style can influence the well-
being of children in dimensions such as academics performance or health condition.
Parental psychopathology and psychosocial maladjustment: parental depression, is a

common event during and following the divorce process, is a risk factor in internalizing(such as
anxiety and depression)and externalizing (such as opposition disorders in children and
adolescents (Grych,2005).existence of parental depression increases the probability of decrease
in material and emotional care of children.(Sturge,2008).mothers with depressive symptoms are
more likely to display negative emotion, negligent behavior, hostile behavior, less educational
consistency, less positive parental behavior, less care for children’s health, less emotional
availability and engage in higher risk parenting behavior (Turk,2007).
Inter-parental conflict: the inter-parental conflict common to the divorce process and to the
period which precedes it is medicated by the metanalysis of Amato, (2000), as the greatest
stressor for children. Nowadays it has been empirically established that parental conflict is the
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main dinner dimension involved in children’s maladjustment to divorce. Other studies

demonstrate that inter-parental conflict result in deterioration of parent-child relationships.
Impact of divorce over children’s development: children of divorce with low levels of
hostility and conflict in co-parenting present good levels of adjustment, comparable to those of
children of intact families with low levels of conflict (Dozier, 2006). Studies show that the
degree and quality of children’s functioning are not exclusively associated to the type of family
structure, but instead to the quality and tone of the relationship between the marital/parental
dyad. Hetherington, (2005) shows, for instance, the pre-adolescents of divorced parents achieve
developmental results superior to those of pre-adolescent of intact families with high levels of
conflict.
Academic performance and interpersonal relationship: along the pat decades, some studies
have shown that children of present lower academic motivation and performance if compared to
children of intact families. In more concrete terms, children of divorced parents would be less
capable of finishing school projects, face more challenges concentrating in complex tasks,
present worse academic results in language and mathematic and lower level of responsibility
(Stolberg, 2008). Indeed, Bertran, (2006) has discovered that poor academic performance in
children of divorce were, on one hand, associated to poor parental involvement and, on the other
hand, correlated to reduced levels of parental adjustment to divorce.
Internalizing and externalizing disorders: a psychophysiological and behavioral

perspective:-children who are continually exposed to episodes of excessive inter-parental conflict
present higher psychophysiological, behavioral, cognitive and emotional reactivity. Such high
levels of reactivity are associated to the increase and accumulation of situations that represent
relative risk for the development of maladjustment to divorce in children (Peris, 2006).
Internalizing disorders are, defined as the set of traces such as depression, isolation or anxiety.
Externalizing disorders, in-turn, encompass behaviors regarded as “acting out”, such as
addictive, impulsive or hyperactive conducts or antisocial behaviors. Malone,(2006) suggest that
male children who experience parental divorce are more likely to present externalizing behavior
at school, especially during the year of the divorce, with a decrease to baseline levels one year
after marital disruption, If compared to female children.
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Psychophysiology and physical health: according to the model proposed by Troxel, (2004),
the effect of the chronicity in stress responses over health must be taken into account, and, once
the divorce experience is potentially a source of acute and chronic stressors, it is vital that one
health and its role in the increase of psychopathological symptom in children of divorce, both in
the short and long run.
Stress and psychophysiology: the subjective perception of a stress including element in the
environment activates a cascade of biological action in order to produce an organic survival
reaction from an evolutionary perspective (Brown, 2004). The stress response to parental
divorce, efficient and physiologically flexible, is adaptive on the short run (Siegel, 2005).
Stress and immunology: most studies with humans on the effect of stress, in naturalist
context, suggest that, in face of stress inducing situations,(such as parental divorce), the immune
system displays signs of decreased competence due to the innervation of lymphoid tissue, both
by sympathetic projections and by parasympathetic nervous projections (King,2002). However,
as shown by studies on the effect of mood or other stress reduction interventions, the immune
response may vary positively, depending on the individual differences such as coping strategies,
personality and behavioral pattern mood, or social support network (Fleshner,2004).
Stress, divorce and immunology: divorce alone does not increase the vulnerability for disease
on the long run, unless it is experienced in a negative way (for example, associated to inter-
parental conflict and a depressive psychopathology in parents) or leads to losing touch with one
of the parent (Costa, 2006).
Review of Related Empirical Studies.
The related empirical study was done in accordance with the sub-headings listed in the opening
comment. They are hereby discussed below:
Concept of separation and divorce

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Separation is a legal agreement by which husband and wife choose not live together.
Separation is the removal of children from the care-giver(s) to whom they are attached.
Separation frees parents from the burden of child rearing (Caye, 1996). Separation and divorce
have both positive and negative effects. The separation limits can be established for parental
behavior and the child will get the message that the society will protect him or her even if the
parent will not. Divorce is a legal way of dissolving a marriage between two people. This
separation is a family as well as a personal crisis. Aprons (1987) described it as a process that
entails psychological risks as well as opportunity for the development of the stakeholders.
Separation and divorce are associated with heart rending emotions, unspeakable sadness,
depression, anxiety and much more. It lead to the creation of two households rather than one,
with consequent increased cost and all parties involved suffer these effect.
Divorce is the termination of a marital union, the canceling and or reorganizing of the legal
duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the bonds of matrimony between a
married couple under the rule of law of the particular country and or state (Meyer, 2013).
Divorce can be a stressful experience, affecting finances, living arrangements, household jobs,
schedules, parenting and the outcome of children of the marriage as they face each stage of
development from childhood to adulthood. Such children may be deeply affected.
According to Amato (2003), separation is often a surprise for children and they generally
experience many of the same feeling as adults children can also grieve for quite a long time.
They may be unaware of the problems their parents were having and they may feel shocked and
confused when the separation occurs. They are also likely to feel insecure and worry whether the
remaining parent will leave them as well. Not only do parents’ divorce each other, a divorce or
mini-divorce happens between them and their children. Children of divorced parents rate the
support they receive from home much lower than do children from intact homes. Divorce
permanently weakens the relationship between the children and parents. It leads to destructive
ways of handling conflict, diminishes social competence, leads to early loss of virginity, and it
diminishes young adults sense of muscularity or femininity (Norval, 2004).
Types of separation and divorce
Cayer (1996) identified several types of divorce as follows:

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- No- fault divorce

- At fault divorce
- Summary divorce
- Uncontested divorce
- Collaborative divorce
- Mediated divorce
No- fault divorce: it exists when a marriage partner does not need to show that the other
marriage partner did or was at fault to obtain a divorce. The reason for this includes
incompatibility, irreconcilable differences and irremediable breakdown of the marriage. No fault
divorce is usually preceded by a separation or deemed separation for 12 months and the divorce
applicable can be made by both parties jointly.
At fault divorce: it is a common way of breaking a marriage. A fault divorce occurs when one
party is blamed by the other and viewed as causing the divorce. Traditionally, couples were not
just able to divorce whenever they wanted to. Pone party to the marriage must have done
something that warranted the other wanting to end the marital union. The distribution of property
and will allow an immediate divorce in states where there is a waiting period required for no
fault divorce.
Summary divorce: a summary or simple divorce available in some jurisdiction is used when
spouse meet certain eligibility requirement or can agree on key issues before hand.
Uncontested divorce: refers to marriages that end up in divorce because the two parties are able
to come to an agreement (either with or without lawyer or mediators) about the property,
children and support issues. When the parties can agree and present the court with a fair and
equitable agreement approval of the divorce is almost guaranteed. If the two parties cannot come
to an agreement they may ask the court to decide how to split property and support issues with
children among others.
Collaborative divorce: here the parties negotiate an agreed resolution with the assistances of
attorneys who are trained in the collaborative divorce process and often with the assistance of a
neutral financial specialist and /divorce coaches. The parties are empowered to make their
decisions based on their own needs and interest but with complete information and full
professional support. Once the collaborative law processes and prematurely.
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Mediated divorce: involves a mediator facilitating the discussion between the husband and wife
by assisting with communication and providing information and suggestions to help mediation
process the separation parties have developed a tailored divorce agreement that can be submitted
to the court.
Causes of divorce
Omo –Okie (2006) identified five causes of divorce as follows:
1. Adultery
2. Lack of preparation
3. Excessive arguing
4. Unreasonable behavior
5. Lack of equality.
Adultery: is a very big issue and it certainly calls for separation or a divorce. There are some
conditions to follow to use this reason for a divorce. The divorce should be filled within 6
months of the applicant discovering about the spouse’s adulterous behavior.
Lack of preparation: there are many people who decide to get married before getting
financially or emotionally stable. Getting married is one of the major decisions to take in life and
requires a great deal of consideration and preparation. Couples often get married before giving
much thought to it and feel overwhelmed and consumed after sometime. This leads to
unhappiness, arguments and stability. Marriage is a legal procedure and should be practiced
when the couples are fully prepared to deal with these big these big changes in life.
Excessive arguing: excessive arguing can be disastrous. In most of the cases it happens due to
lack of appreciation or understanding. These reasons are not really enough to legally ask for a
divorce, however, they lead to other serious problems. For example, couples who are not happy
in their relationship are more likely to commit adultery or any other unreasonable behavior.
Unreasonable behavior: from a legal point of view, unreasonable behavior refers to excessive
drinking, consuming drugs, physical and verbal abuse. Couples who seek divorce due to violence
will often be referred to some form of compensation if it is proved that they have been a victim
to such behavior.
17
Lack of Equality: according to a recent study, 44% of the divorcees stated lack of equality as
the reason of their divorce. This happen when one person feels that they are taking most of the
responsibilities. For instances, men usually feel that they are providing while women feel
depressed about losing their freedom and independent. Money is generally the reason of
argument between couples.
Consequences of separation and divorce
The devastating consequences of divorce identified by Makinde (2004), include:
1. Change in the life style and tradition of the family

2. Change in the economics and financial status of the family
3. The children’s psychology, social and educational development is affected adversely.
4. The couple faces so many challenges varying from in security, depression, emotional
and psychological trauma among others.
Implication of parental separation on sexual health
Dawson, (2007) discovered that many teenagers struggle with feelings of inadequacy in their
teens, and frequently turn these feelings into erroneous judgments of rejection by others.
Daughters of divorce have a particularly difficult time with this struggle and find it more difficult
to value their femininity or to believe they are genuinely lovable (Powell, 2008). Son of divorced
parents suffer in their own way, and frequently have less confidence in their ability to relate with
women, at work, or romantically (Larry, 2007).
When parents divorce, their children’s attitudes about sexual behavior changes. Children’s
approval of premarital sex and cohabitation and divorce rises dramatically, while their
endorsement of marriage and child bearing is reduced (Wallerstein, 2005). According to the
national longitudinal survey of youth (2008) we know that African American girls are 42 percent
less likely to have sexual intercourse before age eighteen if their biological father is present at
home. The rate of virginity among teenagers is highly correlated with the presence or absence of
married parents at all ages. Indeed, change in family structure during adolescence (from married
to divorced, from single to married, or from divorced to step family) increases the risk of
initiation of sexual intercourse by one third among the teenage children of these unions
(Amato,2000).
17
Implication of separation on interpersonal relationship
Adolescents who have the ability to get along with peers have a significant social skill that
will lead to greater happiness in their own life and the workplace.
Gottman (2006) stated that an interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more
people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on inference,
love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Children
relationships with both parents changes after a divorce, they become more distant from both,
More so even than children living with married but unhappy parents. Children of divorced
parents rate the support they receive from home much lower than do children from intact homes.
(Diane, 2009). Patterson (2000) stated that poor social skills, characterized by aversive or
coercive interaction styles, lead directly to rejection by normal peers. Fear of such peer rejection
is twice as likely among adolescents of divorced parents. They are likely to have fewer childhood
friends, and to complain more about the lack of support they receive from the friends they do
have.
Implication of parental separation on grooming
The behavioral reaction of a child to divorce has been shown to correlate with the age group
when the divorce or separation occurs (Neil, 2009). Blakeslee & Wallerstein (1989) observed,
children often have difficulty falling asleep at bedtime or sleeping through the night. Children
may have trouble concentrating at school. These children may refer in their behavior, they may
act younger than they did before the separation, talk in baby talk or fall back in their toilet
training. Some may have nightmares; others may become rebellious, difficult to handle or
aggressive with other children and even their parents (Kathleen, 2010).
Effect of parental separation on emotional stability
Divorce is associated with diminished emotional well-being in children and adult offspring of
divorced parents, including greater unhappiness, less satisfaction with life, weaker sense of
personal control, anxiety, depression (Nadia, 2008).Children of divorced parents are also more
likely to experience divorce themselves. Poorly managed conflict between parents increases
children’s substance abuse and dependence, poor social skill and poor academic performance
(Charlie & Kathleen, 2006). Girls and boys deals with divorce differently, for instance girls who
17
initially show sign of adapting well, later suffer from anxiety in romantic relationships with men.
Studies also showed that girls who were separated from their fathers at a younger age tended to
be more angry and sadness were also observed at common feeling in adolescents who had
experienced parental divorce.
Summary of literature reviewed
Studies from previous authors revealed that the risk of divorce in the first five years is 70 to 76
percent higher for the daughters of divorced parents than those from intact marriages. When
parents are divorcing, the conflict between them is often accompanied by less affection, less
responsiveness and leaves their children feeling emotionally insecure, and more likely to believe
that their social milieu is unpredictable and uncontrollable.
From the works of previous researchers, it was revealed that divorce diminishes learning
capacities and college attainment, reduces household income and massively cuts the life wealth
of individuals. It massively increases crime rates, abuse and neglect rates, and the use of drugs
weakens the health of children, even their life spans will be shortened and it increases
behavioral, emotional and psychiatric risks, including suicide. It was revealed from the works of
previous researcher that children from single parent families were less able to control themselves
and their assessment for themselves was too high. From the information gathered from the works
of previous researchers it was revealed that children of separated families have a higher
probability of needing medical treatment , leaving school or home when young , becoming
sexually active, pregnant, or a parent at an early age, depressive symptoms, high levels of
smoking and drinking, and drug use during adolescence and adulthood. From the works of
previous researcher it was revealed that children of single parent’s families were less able to
control themselves and their assessment for themselves was too high. The works of previous
researchers revealed that there is difference in the general levels of emotional health between
children from divorced families and children from complete families, children with single parent
had more psychological problems, including tendency of a serious loneliness, unwilling
contacting with people and obvious anxiety, tendency of self-accusation, and giving low
evaluations for individual abilities and qualities, strong feelings of inferiority, lacks of
confidence in interpersonal relationships, lacks of security, tendency of serious impulsions.
Many children often felt depressed, irritable and had extreme behavior, their physical symptoms
17
which caused by psychological problems were more obvious. The researcher is of the opinion
that due to parental separation, there is a high percentage of children who have abnormal mood,
emotion and personality; their specific performance included preferring crying, depression,
irritability, anger, fear. Their character included low self- esteem, unsociability, poor self-control
ability, frailty, lying, cheating, apathy, anxiety. Children whose parents were separated had
significantly polarized introversive or exoscopic characters, and most of them had singly
introversive or exoscopic personalities.
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
17
The procedure that was used for this study is discussed under the following sub- headings:
research design, area of the study, population of the study, sample and sampling technique(s),
instrument for data collection, validation of instrument, reliability of the instrument,

administration of the instruments, data analysis techniques
Research design
The research design for this study is the survey design of the descriptive research. The
researcher considers the type of design suitable for the study because it will allow a wide
coverage within a limited time. According to Oredein (2004), survey research design measures
variables by asking people questions and then examine relationships among those variable. He
further explained that survey researches deal with the present and are oriented toward the
determination of the studies of a given phenomenon rather than toward the isolation of causative
factors. The research design will help to explain the respondent view regarding influence of
parental separation and its health implications.
Area of the study
The area of the study is Ikere local government of Ekiti state, which is one of the sixteen local
government areas of Ekiti state. It is a one town local government with adjourning farm
settlements. The local government is a major Collecting point for cocoa, it also serves as an
agricultural trade centre for yams, cassava (manioc), rice, corn, palm oil, kernels, okra, and
pumpkins. The local government has about 202.38sq kilometers. It shares boundaries in the
east with Ise/orun local government, in the west with Ado local government, in the south with
Iju/ Itaogbolu in Akure north local government area of Ondo state and in the north with Igbara
odo in Ekiti south west local government. The total population of ikere local government is put
at an estimate of one hundred and seventy three thousand, four hundred and seventy (173, 470)
17
as at 2011 census. The local government has 42 public primary schools, 11 private nurseries
and primary schools, 10 public secondary Schools and 4 private secondary schools.
Population of the study
The entire junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti
state will form the Population of the study. Junior secondary school students in Ikere local
government have a population of 3,919 out of which 1,827 are male and 2,092 are female
Sample and sampling techniques
The sample size of three hundred and fifty (350) respondents was used for the study. The
respondents were junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state.
There are ten (10) public secondary schools in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. The ten
schools were purposively selected for the study. The non-proportionate stratified random
sampling technique was used to select thirty five (35) respondents from each school. Ten (10)
respondents were selected from JSS1 classes. Ten (10) respondents were selected from JSS2
classes and fifteen (15) respondents were selected from JSS3 classes of each of the schools. The
selection cut across male and female students.
Instrument for data collection
The instrument used for the study was a structured questionnaire. The questionnaire was made
up of two sections, A and B. Section A was used to elicit information on the bio-data of the
respondents which include, name of school, gender, age, religion, class, parental status. Section
B was used to elicit information on the research variables. The questionnaire contains thirty (30)
items and it is of Yes or No format.
Validation of instrument
The researcher’s supervisor and two other experts were given drafts of the instrument in order
to ensure the face and content validity of the instrument. The corrections pointed out by the
experts and the researcher’s supervisor was jointly harmonized by the researcher. After which a
final copy of the instrument was produced, which was used for the study.
17
Reliability of the instrument
Reliability of the instrument was carried out. The test-re-test method of reliability was used.
Twenty (20) respondents from Bobas high school Ikere Ekiti were used for the reliability. The
instrument was administered twice on the same set of respondents within a space of two weeks
and the sets of data generated were analysed with the use of Pearson’s Product Moment
Correlation (PPMC). The correlation coefficient realised was 1.00 which was a proof that the
instrument is reliable.
Administration of the instrument
A letter of introduction to the principal of the schools to be used for the research was obtained
from the head of the Physical and Health Education department. The researcher and three (3)
research assistants administered the questionnaire. The researcher trained the research assistants.
The researcher and the research assistants distributed the questionnaire to the respondents to
respond to. After which they were collected on the spot.
Data analysis technique(s)
The data analysis was done by using descriptive statistical tools of frequency counts and
percentages to answer the research questions that were raised for the study. Pearson’s Product
Moment Correlation (PPMC) was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level.
CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS

17
This chapter presents the analysis of data and interpretation of the results. Descriptive
statistics involving frequency counts and percentage were used to answer the research
questions. The results of the percentage analysis obtained were used to categorized
respondents into three (3) categories. Which are ‟Slight” (0 -39%) ‟Moderate” (40 -60%) and
‟Great” (60 % and above). The generated hypotheses were tested using Pearson’s Product
Moment Correlation (PPMC). All the hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance.
Section A: Descriptive section
Research question 1
What is the implication of parental separation on sexual health among junior secondary school
Table 1: Descriptive analysis on sexual health
S/n Items Yes % No % Total %

7 Do you feel comfortable relating 206 58.86 144 41. 14 350 100
with the opposite sex?
8 Do you feel intimidated being in 180 51.43 170 48.57 350 100
the midst of the opposite sex?
9 Do you feel comfortable with 145 41.43 205 58.57 350 100
non-family member of the
opposite sex?
10 Did you ever wish you were 134 38.29 216 61.71 350 100
opposite sex?
11 Can you share your health 160 45.71 190 54.29 350 100
history with an opposite sex?
Table 1 shows that 58. 86% of the respondents agreed that they felt comfortable relating with
the opposite sex, it fell under the response category of moderate. 51. 43% of the respondents
agreed that they felt intimidated being in the midst of the opposite sex, it fell under the response
17
category of moderate. 58. 57% of the respondents disagreed that they felt comfortable with non-
family members of the opposite sex, it fell under the response category of moderate. 61. 71% of
the respondents disagreed that they wish they were opposite sex, it fell under the response
category of great. 53. 29% of the respondents disagreed that they can share their health history
with an opposite sex, it fell under the response category of moderate. It implies that parental
separation will moderately have implication on sexual health among junior secondary school
students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti State.
Research question 2
Is there any implication of parental separation on interpersonal relationship among junior

secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state?
Table 2: Descriptive analysis on interpersonal relationship

12 Do you like meeting new people 236 67.43 114 32.57 350 100
often?
13 Do you like establishing 222 63.43 128 36.57 350 100
relationship with new people?
14 Do you feel any of your parents 135 38.58 215 61.42 350 100
are replaceable?
15 Do you usually accept other 205 58.58 145 41.42 350 100
people’s point of view on issues?
16 Do you usually contribute to 204 58.29 146 41.71 350 100
group conversation?
Table 2 shows that 67.43% of the respondents agreed that they like meeting new people
often. It fell under the response category of great. 63.43% of the respondents agreed that they
like establishing relationship with new people. It fell under the response category of great.
61.42% of the respondents disagreed that they did not felt any of their parents are replaceable. It
fell under the response category of great. 58.58% of the respondents agreed that they usually
accept other people’s point of view on issues. It fell under the response category of great.
17
58.29% of the respondents agreed that they usually contribute to group conversations. It fell
under the response category of moderate. It implies that parental separation have great
implication on interpersonal relationship among junior secondary school students in Ikere local
government area of Ekiti state.
Research question 3
Would there be any implication of parental separation on the grooming of junior secondary
school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state?
Table 3: Descriptive analysis on grooming

17 Do you have regular bedtime? 198 56.58 152 43.42 350 100
18 Are you always concerned with your 203 58 147 42 350 100
appearance?
19 Do you have any health challenge growing 153 43.72 197 56.28 350 100
up?
20 Do you consider regular taking of bath 246 70.29 104 29.71 350 100
necessary?
21 Do you have any difficulty eating alone? 152 43.43 198 56.57 350 100
22 Do you feel loved at all when growing up? 180 51.43 170 48.57 350 100
Table 3 shows that 56.58% of the respondents agreed that they have a regular bedtime. It fell
under the response category of moderate. 58% of the respondents agreed that they are always
concerned with their appearance. It fell under the response category of moderate. 56.28% of the
respondents disagreed that they have any health challenge growing up. It fell under the response
category of moderate. 70.29% of the respondents agreed that they consider regular taking of bath
necessary, it fell under the response category of great. 56.57% of the respondents disagreed that
they have any difficulty eating alone. It fell under the response category of moderate. 51.43% of
the respondents agreed that they felt loved when growing up, it fell under the response category
of moderate. It implies that parental separation have moderate implication on grooming among
17
Research question 4
Will parental separation affect the emotional stability of junior secondary school students in
Ikere local government area of Ekiti state?
Table 4: Descriptive analysis on emotional stability

23 Does the idea of been fully responsible on 180 51.43 170 48.57 350 100
your own make you worry?
24 Do you feel confused when you are 219 62.58 170 48.57 350 100
interrupted in the middle of something at
school?
25 Do you sometimes wonder if something is 209 59.72 141 40.28 350 100
wrong with you?
26 Do the underlying motives for the actions of 213 60.86 137 39.14 350 100
other people worry you?
27 Have you ever missed daily activities due to 186 53.15 166 46.85 350 100
illness for a period of time longer than most
people?
28 Do daily insignificant problem affect you? 137 39.15 213 60.85 350 100
29 Do you feel uneasy sharing your true feelings 194 55.43 156 44.57 350 100
with someone?
30 Do you feel sad sometimes for no particular 161 46 189 54 350 100
reason?
Table 4 shows that 51.43% of the respondents agreed that the idea of been fully responsible
on their own make them worry, it fell under the response category of moderate. 62.58% of the
respondents agreed that they felt confused when they are interrupted in the middle of something
at school. It fell under the response category of great. 59.72% of the respondents agreed that they
sometimes wonder if something is wrong with them, it fell under the response category of
moderate. 60.86% of the respondents agreed that the underlying motives for the actions of other
people worry them, it fell under the response category great. 53.15% of the respondents agreed
17
that they have ever missed daily activities due to illness for a period of time longer than most
people, it fell under the response category of moderate. 60.85% of the respondents disagreed that
daily insignificant problem affect them, it fell under the response category of great. 55.43% of
the respondents agreed that they felt uneasy sharing their true feelings with someone, it fell under
the response category of moderate. 54% of the respondents disagreed that they felt sad
sometimes for no particular reason, it fell under the response category of moderate. It implies
that parental separation have moderate implication on emotional stability among junior
Section B: Inferential section (Hypotheses testing)
Hypothesis 1
There will be no significant implication of parental separation on sexual health among junior
The hypothesis is gotten from research question 1. It intends to find out if parental separation
has implication on sexual health among junior secondary school students in Ikere local
government area of Ekiti state.
Table 5: Pearson’s analysis of responses on implication of parental separation on sexual

health
S/n Items Yes No Total df x2 cal x2critical Total

7 Do you feel comfortable 206 144 350
relating with opposite sex? (58.86) (41.14)
17
8 Do you feel intimidated being 180 170 350

in the midst of the opposite (51.43) (48.57)
sex?
9 Do you feel comfortable with 145 205 350
4 0.860 0.811 S
non-family members of the (41.43) (58.57)
opposite sex?
10 Did you ever wish you were 134 216 350
opposite sex? (38.29) (61.71)
11 Can you share your health 160 190 350
history with an opposite sex? (45.71) (54.29)
Total 825 925 1,750
The table above revealed that the calculated value of x2 was 0.860 and the critical value of x2
was 0.811. Since the value of x2 calculated was higher than the value of x2 critical at degree of
freedom ( df) 4 and 0.05 level of significance. The hypothesis that stated that there will be no
significant implication of parental separation on sexual health among junior secondary school
students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state was rejected. Therefore, the result is
significant (S).
Hypothesis 2
There will be no significant implication of parental separation on interpersonal relationship

among junior secondary students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. The hypothesis is
gotten from research question 2. It intends to find out if parental separation has implication on
interpersonal relationship among junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area
of Ekiti state.
Table 6: Pearson’s analysis of responses on implication of parental separation on

interpersonal relationship
S/n Items Yes No Tota df x2 cal x2critical Total

l
17
12 Do you like meeting new 236 114 350

people often? (67.43 (32.54)
)
13 Do you like establishing 222 128 350
relationship with new people? (63.43 (36.57)
)
4 1.00 0.811 S
14 Do you feel any of your 138 215 350
parents are replaceable? (38.58 (61.42)
)
15 Do you usually accept other 205 145 350
people’s point of view on (58.58 (41.42)
issues? )
16 Do you usually contribute to 204 146 350
group conversations? (58.29 (41.71)
)
Total 1005 751 1,750
The above table showed that the calculated value x 2 was 1.00 and the critical value of x2 was
0.811. Since the value of x2 calculated was higher than the value of x2 critical at degree of
freedom (df) 4 and 0.05 level of significance. The hypotheses which stated that there will be no
significant implication of parental separation on interpersonal relationship among junior
secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state was rejected. Therefore,
the result is significant (S).
Hypotheses 3
There will be no significant implication of parental separation on the grooming of junior

secondary school in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state.
has implication on grooming among junior secondary school students in Ikere local government
area of Ekiti state.
17
Table 7: Pearson’s analysis of responses on implication of parental separation grooming
S/n Items Yes No Total df x2 cal x2critical Total

17 Do you a have regular 198 152 350
bedtime? (56.58) (43.42
)
Are you always concerned 203 147 350
18 with your appearance? (58) (42)
5 41.82 0.754 S
Do you have any health 153 197 350
19 challenge growing up? (43.72) (56.28
)
20 Do you consider regular 246 104 350
taking of bath necessary? (70.29) (29.71
)
21 Do you have any difficulty 152 198 350
eating alone? (43.43) (56.57
)
Do you feel loved at all when 180 170 350
22 growing up? (51.43) (48.57)
Total 1132 968 2,10
0
The table above revealed that the calculated value x 2 was 41.82 and the critical value of x2 was
freedom (df) 5 and 0.05 level of significance. The hypotheses which stated that there will be no
significant implication on grooming of junior secondary school students in Ikere local
government area of Ekiti state is rejected. Therefore, the result is significant (S).
Hypotheses 4
Parental separation will not significantly affect the emotional stability of junior secondary school
students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state
17
affects the emotional stability of junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area
of Ekiti state.
Table 8: Pearson’s analysis of responses on implication of parental separation on emotional

stability
S/n Items Yes No Tota df x2 cal x2critical Total

l
23 Does the idea of being fully 180 170 350
responsible on your own (51.43) (48.57
make you worry? )
24 Do you feel confused when 219 131 350
you are interrupted in the (62.58) (37.42
middle of something at )
school?
25 Do you sometimes wonder if 209 141 350
something is wrong with you? 59.72 (40.28
)
26 Do the underlying motives for 213 137 350
the actions of other people (60.86) (39.14
worry you? ) 7 9.96 0.666 S
27 Have you ever missed daily 186 166 350
activities due to illness for a (53.15) (46.85
period of time longer than )
most people?
28 Do daily insignificant 137 213 350
problem affect you? (39.15) (60.85
)
29 Do you feel uneasy sharing 194 156 350
your true feelings with (55.43) (44.57
someone? )
30 Do you feel sad sometimes 161 189 350
for no particular reason? (46) (54)
Total 1499 1306 2,800
The table above revealed that the calculated value x 2 was 9.96 and the critical value of x 2 was
freedom (df) 7 and 0.05 level of significance.The hypotheses which stated that parental
17
separation will not significantly affect the emotional stability of junior secondary school students
in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state was rejected. Therefore, the result is significant (S).
CHAPTER V
DISCUSSION OF RESULTS, SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND
RECOMMENDATIONS
Discussion of Results.
Hypothesis 1 which stated that there will be no significant implication of parental separation
on sexual health among junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti
state was rejected. The table shows that parental separation has implication on sexual health
among respondents. This statement was supported by Blakeslee & Wallerstein (2006), they
observed that children of divorced parents are more likely to experience early and risky sexual
activity, non-marital childbirth and earlier marriage. The finding was also in line with the
opinion of Kathleen (2007), who stated that when parents’ divorce their children’s attitudes
about sexual behavior changes. They will be more likely to endorse premarital sex and engage in
early sexual intercourse outside of marriage. The researcher is of the opinion that children who
had experienced a parental separation were significantly more likely to experience sexual health
problems than children in intact families. Even when the mother subsequently remarried, the
correlation between households and marital disruption and the emergence of sexual health
problems among children remains significant.
Hypothesis 2 that stated that there will be no significant implication of parental separation on
interpersonal relationship among junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area
of Ekiti state was rejected. The table shows that parental separation has implication on
interpersonal relationship among the students. The statement was supported by Mavins (2009) he
observed that children who grow up in divorced homes typically have less contact with non-
17
custodial parent child relationship seems to further deteriorate. This leaves a gap in the parental
model that serves as the relationship template for all future relationships in life. The finding was
also in line with the opinion of Surra (2010) who stated that children with single parent was not
as good as the children’s from complete families. Even when they grew up, they still showed
their distrust towards their parents. Parental separation not only affects children’s close
relationship with their parents, but also has negative impact on the children’s creating their own
inmate relationships when they grow up, the implication of parental separation on children’s
understanding of interpersonal relationship is negative and permanent, making the children show
great adaptability in dealing with interpersonal relationship (Jeynes,2010). The researcher is of
the opinion that children of divorced parents receive much lower support from parents than
children from intact home.
Hypothesis 3 which stated that there will be no significant implication of parental separation
on the grooming of junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state
was rejected. The table revealed that there was significant implication of parental separation on
grooming among the students. This statement was supported by Blakeslee & Wallerstein (1989),
they observed that children often have difficulty falling asleep at bedtime or sleeping through the
night. Also children who had experienced parental separation may refers in their behavior, they
may act younger than they did before the separation, some may have nightmares, became
rebellions, difficult to handle or aggressive with other children and even their parents. The
findings was also in line with the opinion of Judith (2008) who stated that children of divorce
parents show their distress by misbehaving or withdrawing into themselves.
The researcher is of the opinion that children of divorce parents become very insecure. They
behave like they are much younger and therefore bedwetting, nightmares, worries, disobedience
can occur.
Hypothesis 4 stated that parental separation will not significantly affect the emotional
stability of junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state was
rejected. The table revealed that parental separation significantly affects the emotional stability
among the respondents. The statement was supported by Kathleen (2007) who stated that most
children experience initial painful emotions including sadness, confusion, fear of abandonment,
anger, guilt, grief and conflicts related to loyalty and misconceptions. The statement was also
17
supported by Turk (2011) who opined that many children of divorce parent leaves the family, but
some also feel a sense of relief because domestic violence or abuse stops. The researcher is of the
opinion that children of divorce parents experience distressing thoughts and emotions.
Summary of the study
The study was on the influence of parental separation and its health implication among junior
Chapter one dealt with the introduction of the study. In the chapter one, the background of the
study was explained. The study had four specific purposes which were:
to find out the implication of parental separation on sexual health among junior secondary
school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state
to examine the implication of parental separation on interpersonal relationship among junior

secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state
to assess the implication of parental separation on the grooming of junior secondary school
students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state
to determine whether parental separation will affect the emotional stability of junior
secondary school students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. Four research questions
were raised from the above mentioned specific purposes. Four hypotheses were formulated from
the research questions.
Chapter two dealt with review of literature related to the study. It also involved conceptual
framework and theoretical framework. The review was done under the following sub-headings;
concept of parental separation, types of parental separation, causes of parental separation,
consequences of parental separation, implications of parental separation on sexual health,
implications of parental separation on interpersonal relationship, implications of parental
17
separation on grooming, implications of parental separation on emotional stability and summary

of literature review
Chapter three explained the methodology with which the study was carried out. Discussed
under the methodology are research design, area of the study, population of the study, instrument
for data collection in which the instrument used for the study is a structured questionnaire.
Chapter four explained the presentation and interpretation of the study result in which
descriptive statistics involving frequency counts and percentage were used to answer the research
questions. The hypotheses were tested using Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC).
All the four hypotheses generated for the study were rejected.
Conclusions
The study concluded that parental separation has implication on sexual health among the
respondents. The study revealed that children of divorce are likely to engage in sexual behavior
at earlier ages and to become pregnant.
Parental separation has implication on interpersonal relationship among the students. The
study showed that children who experience the divorce of their parents generally are more likely
to struggle socially compared to children of intact families. They are more likely to have poor
relationships with same age children, and have fewer close friends.
There was significant implication of parental separation on grooming among the respondents.
The study revealed that children of parental separation are at increased risk of behavioral
problems, including bedwetting, difficulty eating alone and withdrawn behavior.
Parental separation significantly affects the emotional stability of the respondents. The study
showed that children of divorce parents feel sad for no particular reasons, depressed and angry.
These negative emotions can contribute to other problems such as poor health, difficulty in
school, and problems with friends.
Implications of the findings
The findings from the study have proved that parental separation has implications on sexual
health of junior secondary school students. The study revealed that parental separation has
17
implication on interpersonal relationship is high among the junior secondary school students in
Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. This might be applicable to other local government
areas in Ekiti state. The study revealed that there is implication of parental separation on
grooming among the students. It was also revealed that parental separation affects the emotional
stability of the students in Ikere local government area of Ekiti state. This might be applicable to
other local government areas in Ekiti state and probably other parts of Nigeria.
Recommendations
Based on the findings of this research, the following recommendations were put forward:
1 The federal government through the national orientation agency should provide
orientation for parents concerning the implication of marital separation on the sexual
health of their children.
2 The federal and state governments should establish center’s for family guidance and
counseling and the introduction of marriage mentoring programs for young married
couples. This will enable them learn from those who have weathered the storm ahead of
them. Thereby helping them deal with the challenges of marriage and maintaining the
relationship. This will further enhance interpersonal relationship between the child and
others.
3 Health educators should enlighten parents through seminars and health talks on the
implication of divorce on grooming. In order to discourage parents from engaging in
divorce.
4 The magistrate court in Nigeria should intensify their effort on massive campaign against
divorce and also find a means to inform parents on how divorce can affect the emotional
health of their children.
Limitation of the study
The researcher had some limitations during the course of carrying out the study; part of it
was that all secondary schools were on holiday, the researcher needs the students for the
administration of the instrument. The researcher had to revisit the schools after they resumed for
data collection. The school was in session and there was no special time set aside for the study,
17
the researcher had to shuttle between attending lectures and going out to gather data for the
research. The laptop computer used for the research work developed some problems, which
delayed the researcher for a long period of time before the researcher had to repair it for the
purpose of the study.
Suggestion for further studies
The researcher suggests that subsequent researchers should take time to investigate
implications of parental separation on health in areas where we have high prevalence rate of
parental separation. Larger numbers of sample should be made use of and statistics that are more
rigorous should be employed to analyse the data. The research shows that parental separation has
implication on the health of junior secondary school students in Ikere local government area of
Ekiti state. Therefore, the researcher suggests that other researchers should find out other
implications of parental separation on junior secondary school students. The researcher also
suggests that studies on parental separation should not only be limited to junior secondary
schools but should be extended to primary schools and senior secondary schools by other
researchers.
17
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17
APPENDIX A
QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL SEPARATION AND ITS

HEALTH IMLICATIONS AMONG JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN
IKERE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EKITI STATE.
Department of Health Education,
Faculty of Education,
University of Nigeria, Nsukka
Ikere Campus.
Dear Respondent,
This is a research instrument designed to obtain certain information from students of junior
secondary schools in Ikere local government area of Ekiti State on the above named topic. It will
be highly appreciated if you can respond honestly to the questions. All information gathered is
purely for academic research purpose and will be treated as confidential.
Yours faithfully,
Orimaye Yetunde D
Instruction: Please tick (√) or fill the appropriate column.

17
Section A
1. Name of School
……………………………………………………………………………………………....
2. Class: (1) JSS1 ( ), (2) JSS 2 ( ), (3) JSS3 ( ).
3. Age: (1) 9-11yrs ( ), (2) 12-14yrs ( ), (3) 15-17yrs ( ).
4. Gender: (1) Male ( ), (2) Female ( ).
5. Religion: (1) Christian ( ), (2) Muslim ( ), (3) Traditional ( ), (4) Others ( ).
6. Parental Status: (1) Single Parenthood ( ), (2) Double Parenthood ( )
Section B
S/N ITEMS YES NO

Implications of parental separation on sexual health
7 Do you feel comfortable relating with opposite sex?
8 Do you feel intimidated being in the midst of opposite sex?
9 Do you feel comfortable with non-family members of the opposite sex?
10 Did you ever wish you were opposite sex?
11 Can you share your health history with an opposite sex?
Implications of parental separation on interpersonal relationship

12 Do you like meeting new people often?
13 Do you like establishing relationship with new people?
14 Do you feel any of your parents are replaceable?
15 Do you usually accept other people’s point of view on issues?

16 Do you usually contribute to group conversation?
Implications of parental separation on grooming
17 Do you have a regular bedtime?
18 Are you always concerned about your appearance?

19 Did you have any health challenge growing up?
20 Do you consider regular taking of bath necessary?
21 Do you have any difficulty eating alone?
Did you feel loved at all when growing up?
17
22
Yes No
Implication of parental separation on emotional stability

23 Does the idea of being fully responsible on your own make you worry?
24 Do you feel confused when you are interrupted in the middle of something
at school?
25 Do you sometimes wonder if something is wrong with you?
26 Do the underlying motives for the actions of other people worry you?
27 Have you ever missed daily activities due to illness for a period of time
longer than most people?
28 Do daily insignificant problems annoy you?
29 Do you feel uneasy sharing your true feelings with someone?

30 Do you feel sad for no particular reason?
17
APPENDIX B
CALCULATED RELIABILITY OF THE INSTRUMENT
Response X Y X2 Y2 XY
Y 227 307 76729 94249 85039
N 223 193 49729 37249 43039
TOTAL 500 500 126458 131498 128078
N=2
N E NXY- E X E Y
√ ¿ ¿X2 - ( E X )2 ] [N E Y 2 – [ E Y]2
2X 128078 – 500 X 500
√
2 X 126458 – 250000 X 2 X 131498 -250000
256156-250000
√
252916 -250000 X262996 -250000
3078
√
9474084
17
3078
3078 r = 1.00
APPENDIX
C
17
APPENDIX D
LIST OF SCHOOLS USED FOR THE STUDY

17
1. Eleyo high school Ikere Ekiti

2. Annunciation high school Ikere Ekiti
3. St louis grammer school Ikere Ekiti
4. Government college Ikere Ekiti
5. Ikere high school Ikere Ekiti
6. Amoye grammer school Ikere Ekiti
7. African Comprehensive high school Ikere Ekiti
8. Ansar-ru-deen comprehensive high school Ikere Ekiti
9. Ajolagun high school Ikere Ekiti
10. Irepodun community high school Ikere Ekiti

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CERTIFICATION PAGE iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS vii-x

LIST OF FIGURES xii

LIST OF APPENDICES xiii

Background of the study 1-2

Statement of the problem 2-3

Purpose of the study 3

Significant of the study 3

Scope of the study 4

Assumptions of the study 5

CHAPTER II- REVIEW OF LITERATURE 6

- Conceptual framework 7-8

a Concept of parental separation 15-16

b Types of parental separation 16-17

c Causes of parental separation 17-18

d Consequences of parental separation 18

e Implications of parental separation on Sexual health 18-19

f Implications of parental separation on Interpersonal relationship 19

h Implications of parental separation grooming 19-20

i Effects of parental separation on Emotional Stability 20

- Summary of literature reviewed 20-21

CHAPTER III- METHODOLOGY 22

Area of the Study 22-23

Population of the Study 23

Sample and Sampling technique(s) 23

Instrument for data collection 23

Validation the instrument 23-24

Reliability of the instrument 24

Administration of the instrument 24

Data analysis techniques 24

CHAPTER IV – PRESENTATION AND INTERPRETATION OF RESULTS 25

CHAPTER V – DISCUSSION OF RESULTS, SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND

Discussion of Results 34-35

Summary of the Study 36-37

Implications of the findings 37

Limitations of the study 38

Suggestions for Further Research studies 38-39

Table 1: Descriptive analysis on sexual health 25

Table 2: Descriptive analysis on interpersonal relationship 26

Table 3: Descriptive analysis on grooming 27

Table 4: Descriptive analysis on emotional stability 28

Table 5: Pearson’s analysis of parental separation on sexual health 29

Table 6: Implication of parental separation on interpersonal relationship 30

Table 7: Implication of parental separation on grooming 31

Table 8: Implication of parental separation on emotional stability 32

Fig 2:1 Conceptual framework on parental separation 7

Fig 2:2 Theoretical model of the impact of marital dissolution on children’s 9

Appendix A: Questionnaire on influence of parental separation and its health 45-47

implication among junior secondary school students

Appendix B: Calculated reliability of the instrument 48

Appendix C: Letter of approval to collect data for the study 49

Appendix D: List of schools used for the study 50

parental separation on interpersonal relationship, assess the implication of parental separation

tested at 0.05 level of significance.

parental separation on interpersonal relationship among junior secondary school students in

formulated were rejected.

respondents. Parental separation has implication on interpersonal relationship among the

campaign against divorce.

Background of the study

Purpose of the study

Significance of the study

Scope of the study

1. What is the implication of parental separation among junior secondary school