| The purpose of this quantitative survey-type study is to assess the family leadership styles of Sub-Saharan African (SSA) family and to observe the effect of leadership on family functioning. Nigeria was chosen for the study because the socioeconomic environment and social diversity of Nigeria is representative of most SSA countries. A survey of Nigerian families was conducted using the Family Leadership Questionnaire (FLQ). FLQ is a derivative of the Bass and Avolio (1995) Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) and the McMaster Family Assessment Device (FAD). Only family members who were above 18 years and literate were allowed to complete the questionnaires. The data analyses indicated that mothers exhibited transformational leadership traits; whereas, fathers exhibited transactional leadership traits. However, 16% of the fathers in the sample were found to exhibit Laissez-faire leadership attributes. In addition, a family's leadership style was found to favor the father's leadership style rather than the mother's leadership style. The reasons for the apparent husband's leadership dominance are not clear. The results of the FLQ correlation analysis indicated a positive relationship between active family leadership style and healthy family functioning. The Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) results indicated that there was no significant difference in family functioning among different ethnic groups. Although 84% of the families earned a healthy family rating, the levels of healthiness were marginal among the healthy households. |
