Parental Conflict as Correlate of Secondary School Students’ Adjustment in Federal Capital Territory, Abuja

The study investigated parental conflict as correlate of secondary school students’ adjustment in the Federal Capital Territory Abuja, Nigeria. The study employed a descriptive survey design. Five research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. A total of three hundred and eighty-four students were drawn from the sampled schools. The instrument was self-constructed questionnaire, titled Parental Conflict as Correlate of Secondary School Students’ Adjustment Questionnaire (PCCSSAQ). The instrument contains 25 items and three sections; section A has the personal information, section B contains items on parental conflict and C contains items on the adjustment measures and it was vetted through the use of test-retest reliability and face and content validity techniques.  Reliability index of 0.72 and 0.84 for the PCCSSAQ are found to be appropriate for the study.  The Data collected was statistically analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study revealed that although parental conflict is relatively low among the students, students still demonstrate inadequate adjustment skills. It was also established that there is no significant link between parental conflict and students’ adjustment, nor arethere notable differences in adjustment outcomes based on gender or age. The study recommended that the services of a counselor/psychologist should be employed to provide the necessary support for children suffering emotional problems due to marital conflict. Marital conflict should be avoided among married couple due to the hazardous effect it may have on the adjustment capacity and academic performance of their wards. Parents should make effort to resolve marital conflict before it escalates into hostilities and violence.