Impact of Psycho-Social Factors on Family Stress and Dysfunction on the Academic Performance of Secondary School Learners in Port Harcourt City Local Government Area of Rivers State.

Abstract

Family dysfunction is a common problem of secondary school students in Nigeria. It has become a stressor that can cause a change in the family equilibrium thereby affecting students’ mental well-being and academic performance. Mental health problems such as depression, anxiety and personality disorders are common challenges among secondary school students. For optimum success to be achieved in the teaching learning process, there must be proper management of the human and material resources in the environment. Teachers and parents need to improve on their management techniques and interpersonal relationships by recognition of children’s underlying feelings. This paper examines the psychosocial influence of dysfunctional families on the academic performance of secondary school learners. It examines both the psychological factors like poor parenting, distressed or abusive environment, substance abuse, physical illness, mental illness, poor communication and social factors like nature of parent’s relationship, personality of family members, events (divorce, death, unemployment), culture and ethnicity in a dysfunctional family and how they influence secondary school learners. However, the findings showed that many families do not know how to be helpful to their loved ones, therefore there is need for counsellors to help families to understand the factors that contribute to dysfunctions and how to manage them. There is also need for counsellors to help students understand how to learn and excel in their schools despite the dysfunctions in their families. Recommendations were made among which was that counselling units should be established in all secondary schools in Nigeria, where students with challenges in learning due to family dysfunction and individual stressed factors can go to present their problems for appropriate guidance.