NON-FORMAL EDUCATION PROGRAMMES AS PREDICTORS OF SOCIO-PSYCOLOGICAL TRAUMA MANAGEMENT AMONG FEMALE VICTIMS OF COMMUNAL CONFLICTS IN ONDO AND OSUN STATES, NIGERIA

Abstract

ABSTRACT

The increasing rate of communal clashes in Nigeria and their attendant consequences have constituted serious challenges to policy makers. While several studies have been carried out on socio- psychological trauma and ways by which they could be minimized due consideration has not been given to the role and importance of non- formal education proggrammes. This study, therefore, investigated the prediction level of non-formal education programme (Food Crop Farming, Food Processing, Animal rearing, and Handicraft) on socio-psychological trauma among female victims of communal conflicts in Ondo and Osun States, Nigeria.

Descriptive survey research design of the ex-post facto type was adopted. Multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select 1,510 women participants in government-owned non-formal education programmes in the five communal conflicts-endemic communities each in Osun and Ondo States. Non-formal Education Programme Scale (r=0.83), Socio-Psychological Trauma Questionnaire (r=0.88), and Communal Conflict Scale (r=0.91) were used for data collection. These were complemented with 12 sessions of Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) conducted with the victims of communal conflict. Three research questions were answered and four hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance. Percentages, Analysis of Variance and’ Multiple regression and content analysis were used in the analyses of the data.

Non-formal education programmes significantly and jointly predicted the reduction of socio-psychological trauma among female victims of communal conflicts (F(5,1504) = 189.78; p<.05) and they contributed 38.7% to the variance of the dependent measure. They also significantly predicted the reduction of social trauma among female victims of communal conflicts (F(5,1504) = 126.12 p<.05) and contributed 29.5% to the variance of social trauma. Relatively, their contributions to the indices of social trauma were as follows: Loss of property (β=.822, p<.05); Loss of job (β-. 792, p<.05); children dropping out of school (β= -.250, p<.05); lack of income/means of livelihood (β = -.062, p<.05); family separation (β=-.055, <.05). Non-formal education significantly predicted the reduction of psychological trauma among female victims of communal conflicts (F(5,l 504) =245.678; p<.05); and contributed 45.0% to the variance of psychological trauma. The relative contributions of the programmes to the indices of psychological trauma were as ranked; fear and anxiety (β=.340, p<.05); sustenance of injury (β=.208, p<.05); loss of relations (β= .153, p<.05); sexual assault (β=.078, p<.05); and widowhood (β =.005, p>.05). There is a significant difference in the prediction of non-formal education programmes on the independent measure between Osun and Ondo states (t=252, df=1508, P<0.05). The FGD results showed that women who were mostly victims of communal conflicts believed that non-formal education programmes effectively enhanced the reduction of their socio-psychological trauma. To most of the respondents, their engagements in the vocational skills under the non formal education programme did not in any way give room for them to think over their past loss because it is time consuming and self engaging.

Food crop farming, food processing, animal rearing, and handicraft enhanced the management of socio psychological trauma of female victims of communal conflicts. Therefore, government, corporate bodies and non-governmental organisations should ensure that their intervention programmes give high priority to non-formal education programmes in the process of rehabilitating communal conflict victims.