Effects of marital conflict on children’s upbringing in the new Abirem community in the Birim North District in the Eastern Region of Ghana

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine the effects of marital conflicts on children’s upbringing in the New Abirem community in the Birim North District in the Eastern Region of Ghana. The design adopted for the study was a cross-sectional survey and qualitative research approach. A total sample of twelve (10) participants were selected for the study using the purposive sampling technique. Interview guide was the main tool used for the collection of data. The data was analysed qualitatively. The study, found that the major causes of marital conflicts were financial issues, infidelity, infertility, sexual issues, religious differences, and lack of trust among partners. It was also found that marital conflicts affected the upbringing of children. For instance, it creates an interaction problem for children and communication gap between children and their parents. Again, the study exhibited that married couples should seek help for conflict resolution from marriage counsellors and extended family members in order not for their feud to spill over to the children and affect their upbringing. The study recommends among other things that, married couples should focus on the welfare of their children and see to it that all necessary provisions needed for their upbringing are provided irrespective of the ensuing conflicts among them.