INFLUENCE OF PARENTAL BEREAVEMENT ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AMONG UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS OF AHMADU BELLO UNIVERSITY, ZARIA, KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA
Abstract
This study examined the Influence of Parental Bereavement on the Academic Achievement among Undergraduate Students of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. The study was guided with Two (2) objectives which were transformed into research questions. The study used a descriptive survey research design, with the population of 182 undergraduate students whom were purposively selected based on their loss of parents. Parental Bereavement Questionnaire (PBAQ) was used for data collection, after an in-depth content validity. Pilot study was conducted in the faculty of nursing science which is not part of the research of the research faculty, the reliability index of the instrument after the pilot study was 0.83 respectively. The data were collected across 17 faculties of ABU Zaria. The data collected was analyzed using Descriptive Statistics using SPSS version 26. Findings of the study revealed that; the death of a father exerts a significant emotional and academic toll on students’ academic achievement of ABU students with the average mean (2.9) and Mothers’ bereavement also negatively influence the Academic Achievement of ABU Zaria Students (3.13) Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were raised: Ahmadu Bello University should strengthen the counseling and human development center to be more equipped and accessible to all undergraduate students, 2 Awareness campaigns on bereavement and mental health and Psychological supports should be organized periodically by the Department and the Counselling Center for the students who lost their parents.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Adejumo, A., & Adeoye, A. (2022). Cultural perspectives on grief and mourning in African societies. Nigerian Journal of Cultural Studies, 18(2), 112–124.
American Psychological Association. (2021). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.).
Balk, D. E. (2011). Children’s encounters with death, bereavement, and coping. Springer Publishing Company.
Brookhart, S. M. (2011). Educational assessment knowledge and skills for teachers. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 30(1), 3–12.
Burrell, L. V., Mehlum, L., & Qin, P. (2020). Bereavement and academic performance among university students: A population-based study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 263, 478–485.
Cerel, J., Fristad, M. A., Verducci, J., Weller, R. A., & Weller, E. B. (2006). Childhood bereavement: Psychopathology in the 2 years postparental death. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 45(6), 681–690.
Cluver, L., & Gardner, F. (2006). The psychological well-being of children orphaned by AIDS in Cape Town, South Africa. Annals of General Psychiatry, 5, Article 8.
Erikson, E. H. (1968). Identity: Youth and crisis. W. W. Norton & Company.
Haine, R. A., Ayers, T. S., Sandler, I. N., Wolchik, S. A., & Weyer, J. L. (2003). Cognitive–behavioral intervention for parentally bereaved children: Efficacy and psychosocial adjustment 6 years later. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 71(6), 1099–1107.
Kaplow, J. B., Saunders, J., Angold, A., & Costello, E. J. (2010). Psychiatric symptoms in bereaved versus non-bereaved youth and young adults: A longitudinal epidemiological study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 49(11), 1145–1154.
Kendler, K. S. (2002). Major depression and generalized anxiety disorder: Same genes, (partly) different environments—Revisited. British Journal of Psychiatry, 180(Supplement 43), 68–75.
Ogunsola, O. K., Ajayi, L. A., & Ogunleye, A. O. (2021). Unspoken grief and educational outcomes: Case of bereaved university students in Nigeria. Journal of African Education, 2(1), 45–58.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. (2013). PISA 2012 results: What makes schools successful? Resources, policies and practices (Vol. IV). OECD Publishing.
Robert, J. K. (2016). The impact of bereavement on student performance: An interpretative phenomenological study. Journal of College Student Psychotherapy, 30(2), 132–149.
Schuurman, D. L. (2003). Never the same: Coming to terms with the death of a parent. St. Martin’s Press.
Stack, R. J., & Meredith, A. (2018). Academic disruptions after parental loss: Institutional gaps and coping among grieving students. Educational Psychology in Practice, 34(4), 361–375.
Steinmayr, R., Meißner, A., Weidinger, A. F., & Wirthwein, L. (2014). Academic achievement. In International Encyclopedia of the Social & Behavioral Sciences 1(2), 32–37.
Stroebe, M. S., Schut, H., & Stroebe, W. (2007). Health outcomes of bereavement. The Lancet, 370(9603), 1960–1973.
Uroko, F. C. (2025). Silent grief: Emotional suppression among Nigerian university students. African Journal of Psychology and Education, 13(1), 23–37.
Wolfelt, A. D. (2007). Understanding your grief: Ten essential touchstones for finding hope and healing your heart. Companion Press.
Worden, J. W., & Silverman, P. R. (1996). Parental death and the adjustment of school-age children. Omega: Journal of Death and Dying, 33(2),
Wolchik, S. A., Tein, J. Y., Sandler, I. N., & Ayers, T. S. (2006). Stressors, quality of the child–caregiver relationship, and children’s mental health problems after parental death: The mediating role of self-system beliefs. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 34(2), 221–238.
York, T. T., Gibson, C., & Rankin, S. (2015). Defining and measuring academic success. Practical Assessment, Research & Evaluation, 20(5), 1–20.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2025 Adam Tukur, Ayuba Idris, PhD, Amina Lawal Gambo
ISSN (PRINT): 2734 - 2522
ISSN (ONLINE): 2734 - 2514

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.