IMPACT OF DIVORCE ON THE EMOTIONAL WELL-BEING OF WOMEN IN PORT HARCOURT LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF RIVERS STATE

Abstract

The study delves into the impact of divorce on the emotional well-being of women in Port Harcourt Local Government Area. Employing both descriptive and inferential statistics, the research outlines the socio-demographics of 200 divorced women, revealing a predominant age range of 31-40, diverse occupations including traders and civil servants, and all respondents reporting being divorced, with most having 1-4 children. Hypothesis testing explored the relationship between divorce and emotional well-being, revealing a significant negative correlation, indicating that increased divorce relates to decreased emotional well-being. The result shows that there was a significant negative relationship between divorce and emotional wellbeing (r =-.56, p<.05). The result also showed that divorce significantly and independently influencesthe emotional wellbeing of women in the Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State. (β = .56, t = -9.55, p<.05). Further analysis through linear regression supported this correlation, indicating divorce's independent influence, explaining 32% of the variance in emotional well-being. The study's implications call for the provision of tailored support services, the integration of mental health support into legal and counselling services, community awareness campaigns, policy considerations, and further longitudinal research. These findings collectively emphasize the need for targeted interventions and policy measures to address the emotional challenges faced by divorced women in this region.