GRIEF REACTIONS, COPING STRATEGIES AND COUNSELLING NEEDS OF NIGERIAN IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS FACED WITH PARENTAL LOSS
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Date
2017
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Publisher
University of Ilorin
Abstract
Parents play a decisive role in childrenโs academic and social development. The demise of the parent
has a huge emotional impact on a child. This study investigated grief reactions, coping strategies and
counselling needs of in-school adolescents faced with parental loss in Nigeria. The objectives of the
study were to find out: (i) the grief reactions; (ii) coping strategies adopted; (iii) counselling needs of
adolescents faced with parental loss; and (iv) if significant differences existed based on gender,
religion, geo-political zone and adolescentโs age at parental loss.
Descriptive survey research design was adopted. The population for this study comprised all inschool
adolescents faced with parental loss in Nigeria. Simple random and purposive sampling
techniques were used to select 432 in-school adolescents. A researcher-developed instrument
entitled Questionnaire on Grief Reactions, Coping Strategies and Counselling Needs of Nigerian inschool
Adolescents faced with Parental Loss was used for data collection. Means and inferential
statistics were used to analyse the collected data. Duncan Multiple Range Test (DMRT) was
applied as a post-hoc measure to locate where the differences exist in the tested hypotheses.
The findings of the study were that:
(i) the grief reactions of in-school adolescents faced with parental loss is high and these
reactions include having mood swing (๐ ฬ
=3.71), depression (๐ ฬ
=3.62) and nervousness/anxiety
(๐ ฬ
=3.43);
(ii) some coping strategies adopted by the students include listening to inspirational music
(๐ ฬ
=2.77), listening to motivational talks from religious leaders (๐ ฬ
=2.65) and reading
scriptural passages to relieve tensions or anxiety(๐ ฬ
=2.63);
(iii) counselling are more needed in the areas of educational concerns (๐ ฬ
=2.81), emotional
concerns (๐ ฬ
=2.62) and personal concerns (๐ ฬ
=2.60);
(iv) there were significant differences were found in the grief reactions of in-school adolescents
faced with parental loss t = 3.30, p<0.05; coping strategies adopted t = 5.22, p<0.05 and
counselling needs t = 3.83, p<0.05 based on gender;
(v) no significant difference was found in the grief reactions of in-school adolescents faced with
parental loss. Significant differences were found in the coping strategies adopted (F(2, 429) =
19.27; p<0.05) and counselling needs (F2, 429) = 17.45; p<0.05) based on religion;
(vi) no significant difference was found in the grief reactions, coping strategies adopted and
counselling needs of Nigerian in-school adolescents faced with parental loss based on zone;
and
(vii) on the basis of age at parental loss, significant differences were found in the grief reactions of
in-school adolescents faced with parental loss t = 4.46, p<0.05; coping strategies adopted t =
3.46, p<0.05.
This study concluded that adolescents faced with parental loss need counselling more in the areas
of educational and emotional concerns. The implication of the study is that there were insufficient
enlightenment programmes and sensitisation on the reality of death in secondary schools. The
study therefore recommended that counsellors should include in their enlightenment programmes
to the students, the reality of death as well as how to get the right support when faced with
parental loss.
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Keywords
GRIEF REACTIONS, COPING STRATEGIES, COUNSELLING NEEDS, NIGERIAN IN-SCHOOL ADOLESCENTS, PARENTAL LOSS