This study examined how family-system dimensions relate to the mental health of unmarried women of marriageable age in Akwa Ibom State. The family system dimensions under study included family interaction, family support, family affluence and family flexibility from which corresponding research questions and hypotheses were formulated. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. 150 respondents were sampled from a population of unmarried women of marriageable age in Etinan Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State (designated as 29 – 40 years).

The instrument for data collected was a researcher-developed instrument titled “Family System and Mental Health of Unmarried Women of Marriageable Age” The reliability coefficient (Cronbach’s alpha) for the instrument was 0.82. Independent-samples t-tests compared mental-health scores between respondents categorized as “high” versus “low” on four family variables. All hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 alpha level. Results indicated that family interaction had a significant influence on mental health (t = 16.782, p < 0.05), perceived family support had a significant influence on mental health (t = 6.753, p < 0.05), family affluence had a significant influence on mental health (t = 7.256, p < 0.05), and family flexibility had a significant influence on mental health (t = 18.244, p < 0.05). The study recommended among others that short family-system workshops should be established that teach active listening, non-blaming disclosure, and collaborative problem solving in order to strengthen constructive family interaction.