IMPACT OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE ON CHILDREN'S SOCIAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION CARE CENTRES IN LAGOS STATE

Abstract This study explores the impact of domestic violence on children’s social skills development in early childhood education care centres in Lagos State. Utilizing a descriptive research design, the study involved 40 caregivers from 10 purposively selected public early childhood education care centres in Ojo Local Government Area. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire, the "Domestic Violence and Children Social Skills Development Questionnaire (DVCSSDQ)," which demonstrated reliability with a Cronbach's Alpha coefficient of 0.821. Descriptive statistics and Pearson Product Moment Correlation were employed to analyze the data. Findings indicate that caregivers perceive the extent to which domestic violence affects children's social skills development as moderate. Key mechanisms identified include difficulties in regulating emotions and behaviors in social situations at daycare centres and a lack of empathy. Furthermore, a significant and moderate relationship was found between exposure to domestic violence and specific social skills deficits in children attending these centres. The study underscores the need for targeted interventions to mitigate the impact of domestic violence on children's social development, emphasizing the crucial role of early childhood education care centres in providing a supportive environment for affected children. The study recommends that there is need to implement training programs for caregivers in early childhood education care centres in Lagos State on recognizing and responding to signs of children affected by domestic violence. Also the researcher recommended that there is need to offer counseling services for both children and families affected by domestic violence in order to address the underlying issues that may be contributing to social skills deficits in children. Keywords: Domestic violence, social skills, children, early childhood education, care centres, Lagos State