Impact of Parental Divorce on the Socio-Emotional Development of Secondary School Students in Calabar, Cross River State

Parental divorce is increasingly prevalent in Nigerian urban families, with significant consequences for the socio-emotional development and educational outcomes of adolescent children. This study examined the impact of parental divorce on the socio-emotional development of secondary school students in Calabar, Cross River State, South South Nigeria. A descriptive ex-post facto design was used, comparing 120 students from divorced families with 120 students from intact families across eight secondary schools. The Socio-Emotional Development Scale and a structured demographic questionnaire were administered. Independent samples t-tests and multivariate analysis of variance were used for data analysis. Findings indicated that students from divorced families demonstrated significantly lower emotional regulation scores, higher anxiety levels, and reduced social competence compared to their peers from intact homes. Academic performance was also adversely affected in the divorce group. Age of the student at the time of parental separation emerged as a critical moderating variable, with younger children at the time of divorce showing greater developmental vulnerability. The study recommended that school counsellors develop divorce-specific group counselling protocols and that counselling services in Calabar schools include family liaison functions. Cross River State's education authorities were urged to train counsellors in family systems approaches relevant to divorce-affected students. Keywords: parental divorce, socio-emotional development, secondary school, Calabar, family counselling.