DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AS DETERMINANTS OF MARITAL INSTABILITY AMONG MARRIED WOMEN IN IJEDE COMMUNITY: COUNSELLING INTERVENTION Olajumoke Basirat DIKKO (Ph.D) olajumoke.dikko@fuoye.edu.ng Department of Guidance and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Toyin Olanike ADARAMOYE (Ph.D) toyin.adaramoye@fuoye.edu.ng Department of Guidance and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, & Tolulope Oluwatoyin OLAYIWOLA-ADEDOJA (Ph.D) tolulope.olayiwola-adedoja@fuoye.edu.ng Department of Guidance and Counselling, Faculty of Education, Federal University, Oye-Ekiti, Introduction Marriage is one of the important institutions in society, as it is a fundamental need because families are formed through it and the family is the core unit of human society. Marriage is an agreement and union between a man and a woman to live responsibly as husband and wife for companionship, reproduction, and nurturing of a family. Hence, marriage is a sane and important structure on which every society builds. Ojukwu (2013) confirmed this by saying that for the world to be at peace, marriages, homes, and families must be at peace, as stable marriages produce stable children and families, which in turn give rise to a stable society. Marriage is a union that is supposed to bring joy and happiness to society, as well as honor to those who participate in it. Marriage is meant to be sacred to those involved and it is necessary to the social order and in the interest of society. However, in the past few decades, there have been significant changes in marriage and family life, all over the world (Musau, Kisovi, and Otor, 2015). Maciver and Dimkpa (2012) confirmed that the institution of marriage is now unstable. Marital instability has been on a continuous increase in Africa and other developing countries (Duke-Natrebo, 2014). According to Dada and Idowu, cited in Tolorunleke (2013), divorce and remarriage rates among married couples in Nigeria are alarmingly high at the moment. According to Amina, cited in Omoniyi-Oyafunke, Falola, and Salau (2014), marital instability is associated with separation, divorce, and widowhood. Since one has no control over the condition that brings about widowhood, marital instability in this study, therefore, refers to the process in which marriage ends in divorce, dissertation, or separation, whether physically or mentally. The increase in divorce rates is one of the most visible changes in African societies and family lives. The effects and aftermaths of marital instability are grave, not only on the separated couple but on the children and society at large. According to Duke-Natrebo (2014), children from divorced parents