Relationship between Partner Violence, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Job Performance among Female Lecturers of State-Owned Tertiary Institutions in Niger State, Nigeria

Abstract

Partner violence (PV) is globally recognised as a social and public menace concern, with a wide range of mental health and social consequence such as post- traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) for women, impairing their functioning at home and work. The study aims to investigate the relationship between partner violence, post- traumatic stress disorder and job performance among female lecturers in state-owned tertiary institutions in Niger State, Nigeria. The study is guided by a research question: What is the relationship between partner violence and the job performance of female lecturers at tertiary institutions in Niger State? An objective: Relationship between partner violence and job performance of female lecturers at tertiary institutions in Niger State. A correlational research design was adopted. A population of 272 female lecturers was drawn from ten (10) state-owned tertiary institutions, and a sample size of 152 female lecturers was determined using Research Advisor 2006. A multistage sampling technique was used. Three instruments, titled Partner Violence Assessment Scale Instrument (PVASI), Female Lecturer's Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Instrument (FLPTSDI), and Female Lecturers' Job Performance Inventory Assessment Scale Instrument (FLJPIASI), were validated for content validity by experts in the Faculty of Education and Extension Services, Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto. The split-half reliability method was adopted using the Spearman–Brown prophecy formula. The reliability for PVASI is 0.83, for FLPTSDI is 0.86, and for FLJPIASI is 0.93, and all are considered acceptable. The data was collected using a research-administered instrument. The null hypotheses were analysed using the Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Coefficient at 0.05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that exposure to PV significantly predicts the development of PTSD symptoms among female lecturers, with consequent adverse effects on their job performance. The study, therefore, concludes that partner violence PV and PTSD constitute significant psychosocial stressors that not only compromise the mental health of affected female lecturers but also diminish their effectiveness and productivity within the academic work environment. The study recommended, among other measures, that administrators and managers of tertiary institutions establish a functional institutional guidance and counselling centre and institutionalise a secure digital mental health platform to provide trauma-informed counselling services and therapeutic coping mechanisms for female lecturers.