Family Disharmony and School Adjustment of Secondary School Students in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State

This study investigates the influence of family disharmony on school adjustment of senior secondary school students in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State. Three objectives were raised to guide the study. A survey research design was adopted to carry out the study. The population of the study comprised of 8,426 students from 14 Public Secondary Schools in Rivers State, with a sample size of 367 students (SSS 1-3) drawn from 5 out of 14 Public Senior Secondary Schools in the study area. The study utilized a questionnaire titled; Family Disharmony and Students’ School Adjustment Questionnaire for the data collection.was validated and tested for reliability with a reliability coefficient of r = 0.880, through Pearson Product Moment Correlation indicating high internal consistency. Mean score and Standard Deviation were used to answer the research questions, while the Analysis of Variance was used to test the null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that lack of family togetherness influences the school adjustment of senior secondary school students to a High Extent, that communication gap influences the school adjustment of senior secondary school students in Port Harcourt Local Government Area of Rivers State to a High Extent amongst other findings. Based on the findings of the study it was concluded that a harmonious family will positively enhance the school adjustment of senior secondary school students. The study recommended amongst others that families, especially the parents should establish peaceful coexistence in the family that will promote family togetherness, as this will positively influence the adjustment behaviour of their children.