ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to investigate the Psychosocial Effects of Domestic Violence on the Mental Health of Adolescents in Egor L.G.A of Edo State, Nigeria. The study employed a cross-sectional research design and a sample size of 100 respondents from a target population of 120 was used for the study. In regard to forms of domestic violence against adolescents in Egor LGA, Edo State, Nigeria. The respondents agreed that pupils are affected by emotional violence through insults, shouts, repeated criticism, frequent blames, threatening, denial of love and affection. The study concluded that; domestic violence exists in Egor LGA; forms of domestic violence against them were physical violence, emotional violence, sexual violence and economic violence. Causes of domestic violence were violence in family of origin, low self-esteem between the spouses, isolating one spouse from the other, economic stress, drug and alcohol abuse, pornography exposure and jealousy and parent’s ignorance. Findings shows that domestic violence inflicts harm to children such as emotional harm, social harm and psychological harm which impact the child learning systems thereby influencing a child to lose interest in education, arrive late at school, being absent from school, dropout of school and even early marriage. The study recommended that; there is therefore an urgent need for the government to integrate the service of psychologists in the mental health programs; need for the government to introduce awareness campaigns on the effect or implications of domestic violence especially in parishes through some agencies and organizations; Finally, need for the government to intervene by making education free for all and to provide a means of checking the number of children a couple should have especially people in the rural areas taking into consideration the economic situation.
