Social Media Use and Prevalence of Domestic Violence among Married Persons in Rivers State

Woji. O.  Vashni

doi:10.5281/

Authors

Woji. O. Vashni Department of Educational Psychology, Guidance and Counselling Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, Rumuolumeni, Port Harcourt Rivers State Nigeria Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5281/

Keywords:

social media use, WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, domestic violence, married persons, Rivers State

Abstract

This study examined social media use and the prevalence of domestic violence among married persons in Rivers State. The study was guided by four objectives, research questions and corresponding null hypotheses, which examined the relationships between WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram use and the prevalence of domestic violence among married persons in Rivers State. The study adopted a correlational research design. The population comprised married persons in Rivers State, whose exact population was considered unknown because there was no unified register containing all married persons in the State. A sample of 400 married persons was selected through a multistage sampling procedure. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire titled Social Media Use and Domestic Violence Questionnaire (SMUDVQ), which was validated by experts and subjected to reliability testing using Cronbach's Alpha. Data were analysed using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that WhatsApp use had a positive and significant relationship with the prevalence of domestic violence among married persons in Rivers State (r = 0.214, p < 0.05). Facebook use also had a positive and significant relationship with domestic violence (r = 0.287, p < 0.05). Similarly, TikTok use had a positive and significant relationship with domestic violence (r = 0.176, p < 0.05), while Instagram use had a positive and significant relationship with domestic violence (r = 0.231, p < 0.05). Based on these findings, all four null hypotheses were rejected. The study concluded that social media use is significantly associated with the prevalence of domestic violence among married persons in Rivers State. It recommended, among other measures, the integration of responsible social media use into marital counselling and domestic violence prevention programmes.

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