Effects of Marital Conflict Management Counselling on Marital Instability Among Married Persons in Lafia Metropolis, Nassarawa State, Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the effects of marital conflict management counselling on marital instability among married persons in Lafia metropolis, Nassarawa State, Nigeria. The population consists of 250 married persons with reported cases of marital instability in Lafia metropolis, from which 80 respondents were selected with the aid of a marital screening test as a sample for the study. The purposive sampling technique was used to select 40 respondents tested with high levels on the marital screening test scale and were divided into two groups: one group for treatment and one for the control group. The instrument (the questionnaire) was validated and its reliability established using Cronbach’s alpha method. The data was analyzed using the ANCOVA statistical method. Two research questions and two null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance. A non-equivalent group pretest and post-test quasi-experimental design was adopted for the study. The result revealed that conflict management counselling has significant effects on marital adjustment among married persons in Lafia metropolis. The findings also revealed that conflict management counselling can help improve mental health issues such as anger, depression, and anxiety. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made: conflict management counselling should be applied when dealing with conflicting issues among couples. Secondly, counsellors and social workers should introduce seminars, conferences, workshops, or programmes aimed at discouraging conflict among married persons.

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