Obiekwe (2000) summarized the effects
of marital instability on children in the following ways:
Juvenile delinquency, drug abuse, teenage pregnancy, prostitution, gangster,
alcoholism, armed robbery and violence. In looking at the
effects of marital crises on children, Ajai and Ipaye figured out some
of the behaviours that children from unstable homes use to portray as follows:
lacking in respect for authority, disorderliness, early indulgence in drinking, smoking and delinquent behaviour. The effects of marital instability on children can
now be reviewed.
JUVENILE DELINQUENCY
One of the major facts in the study of human
development is the impact of the home in shaping the growing child. Most of the
causes of juvenile delinquency stem from the home of the delinquent child
concerned. The child enters into the family unspecialized. There are
some values parents must transmit to the child, which will
enable him to adjust well to the society. Failure to do this may
result in many things as juvenile delinquency. Moreover, situations do arise
where a growing child who needs all the
necessary care and attention from both parents is faced with the uncertainties of a broken home (Anigbo, 2002).
Hollis (1949) quoted by Anigbo
(2002) observed that the dangers of lack of peaceful
co-existence between husband and wife in a family result to breeding offsprings
that do not belong to the family and this
leads to juvenile delinquency when such children are neglected. According to him the absence of proper parental guaradiance, the child unconsciously seeks
for outside sources of such
satisfaction, thereby giving room for the internalization of immorality. He showed that children's needs should be* provided by the parents, but a
situation whereby the parents are not living peacefully, they feel less
concern of their children. Children as young people will now begin to look
outside for the fulfillment of their needs.
In doing this, they are prone to be
affected by immoralities around them.
According to Ezeh (2000) young children from homes
froth wife
marital problems pick up any form of behaviour from their parents with far-reaching consequences for the
society as a whole. He perceived
that parents contribute in the production of the personality of the children of
such home. When the child is not properly provided for, such child will then be
allowed to riot without any form of control especially as their needs are
not met. He viewed that in
the extreme case, the possibilities of delinquent disposition for the children of such home become obvious and to the
detriment of the whole society.
Moreover, he pointed out that parents who are
emotional apart, even though they may remain physically together
most often than not have children that develop perfect negative
methods of getting out of trouble or what they want, which
is to the detriment of the longer society. Awake
(2004) view that an unstable families may lead to the
feeling of insecurity for child which may continue throughout his
childhood and adolescent. It is also observed in it that the criminal
tendencies among our youths are attributable to the upbringing of our children.
They maintained that no child is born a criminal, he learns feelings like
hostility from those he relates with from the beginning
of his life. His parents are his man teacher and, whatever they
do will be copied and imitated. It is also noted in it that the
effects of marital crises on children are greater when they are
still at their tender age and their parents are in a poor economic position.
Ajai and Ipaye (1997) observed that some couples
still undergo separation or divorce as a result of failure of
one or both parties to perform their marital obligations,
adultery, maltreatment etc. They saw marital crises as what do not
only affect the couple involved but also have tremendous
effects on the offspring's of the marriage who are deprived of love
by either or both parents. The effects do not just appear
immediately at the point of such conflict but does appear later in the
life of the children involved. They also, perceived that the
tension and quarrels, which precede divorce, create negative
emotional conditions within the home. The child is disturbed when
the relationship between the parents is not cordial.
In trying to show the association between
delinquency and broken marriages, they noted that delinquency is
caused by inadequate
socialization.
According
to them, marital instability affects the academic performance of children
in schools. He demonstrated this by comparing
intact homes and unintact homes. He said that children from intact homes have fewer absences, higher grade point average, lower negative teacher behaviour
ratings, and higher positive teacher
behaviour ratings than those from unstable
homes.
The various contributions have helped to deepen our understanding
of the causes of marital instability and the effects of marital instability
on children.
From
the area of study, it has be found out that children from unstable homes
often than not are worst off when compared with
the children from united homes. This means that it is only when
something goes wrong with the parent-child relationship those
serious cases of delinquency result.
The present paper therefore, is unique and vital as
it discusses
the effects of marital instability on children of Akpawfu Town. The researcher was prompted to embark on the
study because little or no such study
has been conducted in the study area.