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The Relationship Between Marital Satisfaction, Family Relation And Psychological Distress
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
It is often believed that when an
individual is married, it is an opportunity to share life’s problems
with someone, and have that someone help you get back on your feet in
times where you seem to be at your lowest ebb. After all, the vows
exchanged at the wedding have a certain phrase that reads “for better
for worse, in sickness and healthâ€, and it is expected that the couple
will provide much needed solace for each other in time of difficulty.
But is this really the case in contemporary society today? Granted, in
the African context, the institution of marriage is one which cannot be
broken easily, with a lot of expectation being set for the new family by
friends, well-wishers and society in general. According to Abraham
Maslow (1957), one primary need of man, is the need for love and
belongingness, without which, according to him, the individual cannot
continue on to the path of self-actualization. It is sometimes because
of this and the need for attention, that drive most people to seek the
comfort of the other mate and in the process, shield the individual from
psychological distress, which could take many forms which will be
discussed in details later on. However, it is becoming increasing
evident that this is no longer the case.
Reports have shown that due
to many factors, such as violence in relationships, family relations and
in some extreme cases, the use of technology could play a significant
role in causing psychological distress to any one (Sharaievska. I 2012).
As a result, a lot of research has gone into finding out if there are
any correlates between satisfaction in marital life, and psychological
distress. Research has shown that the quality of an individual’s marital
relationship could be a determinant in diagnosing depression in married
couples (Mamun, A., Clavarino, A., Najman, J., Williams, G., O’
Callaghan, J, Bor, W., 2009). Psychological stress could be any
emotional turmoil which directly interferes with the individual’s
capacity of function at optimal level at all times. It is therefore
important to find out if the marriage can also be a source of such
problems for the individual.
As mentioned earlier, reports have shown
in both longitudinal and cross sectional studies that directional
relationships between relationship quality and stress tends to be
strong. Recent studies show that individuals with more supportive
partners are more likely to report lower levels of depression and
individuals with a problematic spouse are likely to report higher levels
of stress (Horwitz, Mclaughlin & White, 1998).
Relationship with
family members also plays a role in how an individual handles stress
before it becomes problematic for them. Good relations with in-laws, is
thought to go a long way in helping people find satisfaction and joy in a
marriage. As any Nigerian couple can testify, it bodes well for the
family if all members are well placated and peace reigns within the
family. However, reasons such as the inability to procreate, or
financial strains could also be a major reason why psychological
distress is on the rise today. In an American study on black Americans
and marital satisfaction within the home, individuals who are married
tend to report more happiness, life satisfaction, and fewer emotional
problems than unmarried people. However, economic strains and unfair
treatment are leading causes of problems in the marriage and often leads
to couples experiencing significant amount of distress in the home
which invariably affects marital satisfaction.
As of result of
increasing reports of psychological problems reported by individuals who
are married, this research has been undertaken to attempt to identify
if marital satisfaction, or contentment in the marriage, alongside
family relations are related to and can predict psychological distress
amongst Nigerian married couples.
1.1Background to the study
Psychological
distress is a problem that can affect anyone regardless of age, social
status and means of livelihood. However, marital issues also seem to be
related to psychological distress. Renne (1970) pointed out that marital
satisfaction was an essential and important component of emotional and
psychological wellbeing, and has a positive association with general
happiness and perception of overall individual health. In Nigeria,
psychological problems abound in the society with experts looking for
various reasons and solutions to the myriads of problems out there.
Depression, aggression and violent behaviour are just some of the
symptoms of psychological distress. But the question is, why focus on
the marriage as a means of understanding distress?
Research has shown
that within the marriage, there is a strong possibility that
satisfaction within the marriage is a very important predictor of if
psychological distress will be experienced by an individual or not.
Horwitz and colleagues (1993) showed that negative marital quality is
more strongly associated with depressive symptoms and also demonstrated
that relationship quality and satisfaction may have a strong impact on
wives compared to husbands. Other research has also shown that marital
quality is a more significant influence on the psychological health of
married women, while the status of the marriage is an important factor
in predicting men’s mental well-being. Overall, these two factors affect
the marriage scene in most families. Other factors that may affect the
marital satisfaction of certain families also include use of drugs and
alcohol. Horwitz (1996) found that depression and alcohol declined for
individuals that were unmarried, but generally increased over time as
these individuals got married; pointing to the fact these symptoms could
be a means of trying to escape the problems attached to marriage, and
by extension, psychological distress. There are also observed gender
differences in the way couples react to stress within the marriage, as
reports show that women tend to react negatively to stress within the
marriage compared to men (Horwitz et al., 1998).
In addition to all
these, it is also pertinent to understand that psychological distress is
also a leading cause of divorces in most homes today (martins 2004). In
most homes, when dissatisfaction arises in the marital process, it is
usually a foreseen occurrence in families around the world today. When
the husband or the wife is unable to bridge a perceived communication
gap, or is limited in providing for essentials within the family, such
as finances by the husband, emotional and physical support by the wife,
then marital dissatisfaction can ensue resulting in one or both couples
feeling sad, depressed, anxious and aggressive. All these can be
described as psychological distress which can be quite visible in the
marriage.
In addition, research has shown that the older a couple
are, the less marital dissatisfaction they will likely experience
(Bookwala & Jacobs, 2004; Henry, Berg, Smith, & Florsheim,
2007). This is probably because they tend to argue less often, and with
the children preparing to leave the home, there may be little or no
disputes about child raising strategies and issues, in addition to
decreased financial burden which could be a major stressor in the
family.
With all these in mind, an empirical investigation into how
satisfaction within the marriage and family relations are related to
psychological distress. Also, due to the dearth of research in this part
of the world on the aforementioned topic, it has been deemed necessary
to carry out this research for the furtherance of empirical knowledge
and also to provide insight on contemporary issues on family life and
how both spouses can contribute to psychological stability of the other
and what ensues forth where this isn’t observed. As seen in the
preceding paragraphs, it is a problem that deserves the scientific
community’s attention as proper address of the problem could lead to
prevention and cure of psychological distress among Nigerian couples.
1.2Statement of the problem.
In
typical Nigerian homes, it is rather difficult to pinpoint where the
cause of psychological distress emanates from. Some may attribute it to
spiritual problems, external factors such as financial strain, or
strained relationship with other family members. Current research
however, has pointed to marital satisfaction among the leading causes of
psychological distress among married couples in many parts of the world
(Horwitz et al 1998, Mamun, A., Clavarino, A., Najman, J., Williams,
G., O’ Callaghan, J, Bor, W., 2009). In addition, younger couples are
seen to experience lesser marital satisfaction compared to their older
counterparts, with many indicators being pinpointed as leading causes.
Therefore
the problem which will be given much consideration is to understand the
intricate relationship between marital satisfaction, family relations
and psychological distress, and to understand the influence of age of
the couple or spouse on ability to reports either higher or lower levels
of marital satisfaction. In the world today, women are generally
assumed to be the “weaker vessel†and are more susceptible to stress,
while the men are seen as strong and being able to withstand any
discomfort that come their way and provide assurance and solace for the
woman in time of need whenever, wherever and however that may be. This
study will try to investigate and find out just how different men are
from women in the way they handle psychological stress. Also the way
married couples relate to one another is also seen as a predictor of
distress, as little or no cordial relations between parents and their
children, has been shown to increase the likelihood of psychological
distress for one or both couples
As there are different forms and
contexts in which psychological distress can be diagnosed, these will
also be looked into to give better insight into which forms are peculiar
to the marriage setting and which ones are not and also to determine if
gender differences on susceptibility to psychological distress really
exists as supported by literature.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]Marital satisfaction is no longer a given in today’s world, with different factors contributing to the poor marital quality experienced in most marriages. This study attempted to find out if there is any relationship between factors affecting marriages. Participants were chosen via purposive sampling, where married people were the intended target. Marital satisfaction, family relations and psychological distress were carefully examined to see if there is any relationship between them. Als ... Continue reading---
