Citation
Idowu, B. O., Abidemi, A. M., & Olamide, A. T. (2026). Influence of Marital Resilience and Socio-Economic Status on Marital Commitment among Married Individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. International Journal of Research, 13(1), 375–393. https://doi.org/10.26643/ijr/2026/12
Babalola Olawale Idowu
Counselling and Human Development Studies
University of Ibadan, Nigeria
https://orcid.org/0009-0009-8967-8371
Ajayi Modupeola Abidemi
Counselling and Human Development Studies
University of Ibadan, Nigeria
https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3335-7017
Adegbite Toyibat Olamide
Counselling and Human Development Studies
University of Ibadan, Nigeria
https://orcid.org/0009-0003-4716-7027
Abstract
This research was aimed at determining the extent to which marital resilience and socio-economic status affect the level of marital commitment in married couples in the Abeokuta North Local Government of Ogun State in Nigeria.
A descriptive correlational research design was adopted for this study. A total of one hundred (100) married participants were selected using stratified sampling techniques. Socio-economic status, marital resilience and marital commitment were measured through standardised instruments. The statistical tools used are Pearson product-moment correlation and multiple regression tests at the.05 level of significance.
The findings revealed positive and significant relationship among socio-economic status, marital resilience, and marriage commitment. With the combination of the two predictor variables, the variance in marital commitment was 38.2%, with the socio-economic status level coming out as the better predictor.
The paper concludes that, as much as emotional flexibility improves the marital relationships the financial aspect has a greater definite role to play in maintaining marital devotion. Based on this it is proposed that marital counselling programs should also be integrated with resilience-building and financial empowerment programs to help women to develop healthier and more sustainable marital relationships.
Keywords: Marital Commitment, Marital Resilience, Socio-economic, Quantitative Method, Abeokuta, Nigeria.
1.1 Background of the Study
Marriage is one of the most ancient and most significant social institutions which provides the basic foundation upon which families and societies are built. It represents friendship, love, mutual assistance and persistence of the human family. Good marital union is never based on just affective love or simple compatibility but on strong devotion of both parties to maintain the relationship despite the challenges which life inevitably presents. Marital commitment is also defined as a psychological and emotional desire to maintain a lifelong relationship with a spouse (Deniz and Yozgat, 2013). It comprises commitment towards the partner, fidelity to the marriage institution and the willingness to tolerate hardships in the process of seeking to achieve mutual growth and fulfillment. Higher marital commitment has been linked to greater marital stability, satisfaction as well as holistic family well-being.
However, this does not necessarily make marital commitment stable. As illustrated in the modern marriage in Nigeria and in Abeokuta North Local Government in Ogun State in particular, the situation is a mixture of emotional, social and economic issues. The financial strain, lack of jobs, inflation and the changing cultural demands still threaten the sustainability of marital relationships. Although love can cause one to enter in marriage, marital resilience and socio-economic stability are the driving factors. Based on that, the study of the interaction between marital resilience and socio-economic status in terms of their influence on marital commitment is a crucial interest of investigation in both family and marital relationship.
Marital resilience has become one of the key constructs to explain why couples adjust and overcome stressors that could otherwise disrupt their relationships. It means the ability of couples to achieve emotional balance, maintain harmony and prioritise the relationship despite the adversity (Sanford et al., 2016; Aydogan and Kizildag, 2017). Healthy couples use positive coping mechanisms such as empathy, forgiveness, open communication and mutual support to overcome issues like financial stress, sickness or family conflict. Marital resilience therefore portrays a process of facilitated vulnerability and reciprocal accommodation where couples empower themselves by being able to face adversities together. On the other hand, lack of marital resilience can be in the form of withdrawal, aggressiveness, avoidance or devastating conflict hence, undermining trust and reducing commitment.
While marital resilience is an expression that conveys the psychological strength that keeps the emotional bond of companions within a couple intact, socio-economic status (SES) provides the material bedrock upon which the emotional bonding exists. SES includes income level, educational level, job stability and social standing in general, which determine the availability of resources and opportunities (Okunlola, Akande and Adetayo, 2023). Higher socio-economic status of couples usually means that they can afford good living conditions, medical care and education opportunities which in turn allow couples to avoid stress and achieve marital satisfaction. On the contrary, the financial pressure, social isolation and work imbalances are more likely to affect couples with low SES leading to frustration, violence and lack of commitment.
The socio-economic inequality on marital outcomes has been widely reported in the Nigerian setting. Financial difficulty, joblessness and inflation have pushed many households to a long-term stress which erodes marital stability and gratification. The situation is similar to that of couples in the Abeokuta North Local Government where most of the families have to cope with the demands of low income, changing gender roles and conflicting societal roles in extended families. In this situation, marital resilience and socio-economic context interplay becomes of importance as economic pressure can weaken relationships while resilience can help address it allowing couples to adjust in a productive way and remain committed.
Although these factors are important, most studies conducted before have often considered marital resilience and socioeconomic status as independent variables affecting marital satisfaction or adjustment. There has been little focus on how they interact to affect marital commitment- especially in the Nigerian cultural and economic context. This is a gap since marriage in Nigeria can be seen as not just a personal agreement but also a social institution that is deeply entrenched in social expectations, culture and economic factors. Psychological adaptability and socio-economic stability might be integrated to provide a deeper analysis of the mechanisms that maintain or undermine marital commitment.
This study therefore aims at examining how marital resilience and socio-economic status affect marital commitment in married people in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. It seeks to identify the interaction between the ability of couples to make adoptions and to overcome marital stress and their economic and social status to determine the level of commitment. This study will offer a comprehensive view on the issue of marital sustainability in Nigeria by incorporating both psychological and structural aspects of marital life in a local setting. The expected insights will add value to the counselling psychology, marriage education and family policy by providing information on how the capacity to build resilience and socio-economic empowerment can bolster marital commitment and stability in the modern Nigerian society.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
Marriages which start with love and hope sometimes fail the test of time showing that emotional attraction is not enough to maintain long term marriage relationships. The defining factor between long-lasting unions and unsuccessful ones is marital commitment- a conscious and continuing effort of partners to maintain relationships amidst the unfavorable obstacles or dissatisfaction.
Marital commitment is a multidimensional concept, which incorporates moral, emotional and structural views. It is not merely a feeling of love; it is a choice to be faithful to one’s partner and to protect the marriage and to face issues in a positive way. However, the modern reality puts this promise under a lot of pressure. The increased economic instability, gender role changes, urbanization and individualism destroy the old values that married people used to rely on to help them endure. The contemporary couples are facing financial insecurity, competing career requirements and limited emotional intimacy and all this amounts to a slow decline in the feeling of accountability to the marital relationship.
These processes are becoming more noticeable in Nigeria. According to marriage counsellors and family psychologists, couples have been found to be less tolerant of conflict, have less communication and less trust and these factors have all led to emotional detachment and subsequent separation. Marital strain has been heightened by factors such as unemployment, poverty, cultural expectations and social comparison mediated by media exposure particularly in young couples both in urban and semi-urban environments. Indeed, an example is in Abeokuta North Local Government in Ogun State, where most couples are faced with economic and social challenges that hinder their ability to undertake their family duties and thus affect the level of their satisfaction and dedication to the relationship.
Although this has become of increasing concern, the majority of the studies have been focused on marital satisfaction, adaptive adjustment or patterns of communication without giving much insight into the construct of marital commitment per se, a more consistent and long-term predictor of whether couples will continue their relationship in the face of varying levels of satisfaction. The lack of study to be more exact on marital commitment in the specific Nigerian settings leads to interventions relying mostly on the foreign models which do not necessarily reflect the peculiarity of the Nigerian marriage where cultural expectations, extended family relations and financial factors are the central factors.
The continuity of marital instability requires the need to take a deeper look at the factors which support or undermine marital commitment. It is important to understand how people understand and practice commitment in their marriages to come up with strategies of strengthening family life. Without this understanding, marital counseling, family education and policies will be futile or erroneous.
Therefore, the gap this study aims to fill is the growing deterioration of the commitment by the married people especially in the light of socio-economic stress, change in social values and emotional weakness witnessed in modern marriages in Nigeria. The question of how people in Abeokuta North Local Government understand and uphold their marriage vows despite such challenges is in dire need of an answer. This study will shed light on the psychological, social and economic aspects which determine the survival of marriages and help in empowering family units within the society.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
The overall purpose of this study is to evaluate the extent to which marital resilience and socio-economic status influence marital commitment of married people living in the Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. Specifically, the research attempts to:
1. Evaluate the presence of a correlation among marital resilience, socio-economic status and marital commitment.
2. Establish the combined influence of marital resilience and socio-economic status on marital commitment among the target population.
3. Determine the relative contribution of each of marital resilience and socio-economic status to marital commitment among married individuals.
1.4 Research Questions
The research questions to be used in the study are as follows:
1. Does marital resilience, socio-economic status and marriage commitment among married partners in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun State in Nigeria have a significant relationship?
2. What is the combined effect of marital resilience and socio-economic status on marital commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria?
3. What is the relative contribution of each of marital resilience and socio-economic status to marital commitment among married persons in Abeokuta North Local Government in Ogun state, Nigeria?
2.1 Literature Review
Commitment in marriage is considered to be one of the strongest antecedents of a stable and happy marriage. It is a summary of the desire and the perseverance of a partner to stay in a marital union amidst the problems that can occur as time goes by. Cheraey et al (2020) argues that marital commitment is not just a mere emotion but a conscious decision to maintain the relationship and be faithful to one’s partner. Marital commitment in this conceptualisation acts as the binding force which keeps couples together in varying emotional and situational situations.
Adams and Jones (1997) developed a three part model of marital commitment which they divided into personal, moral and structural elements. Personal commitment which can be motivated by affective affection and emotional satisfaction constitutes the emotive dimension; moral commitment occurs because of personal values or religious beliefs which reflect ethical imperatives and structural commitment is created by socio-economic, family or institutional pressures which make separation unattractive. Deniz and Yozgat (2013) further narrowed it down as a psychological binding that drives the individuals to stay in the marital union and even work hard to sustain the relationship as time goes by. The various views unite on a definition that makes marital commitment affective and volitional thus necessitating the need to be affectionate and intentional.
Empirical studies in the recent past have highlighted how significant marital commitment can be, in determining the marital satisfaction, the manner in which the marriage partners communicate and the overall well being of the partners. Couples with a greater degree of commitment were more likely to have positive communication and work together to solve the conflict. On the other hand, the low level of commitment was linked to emotional disconnection, cheating and ultimate marriage breakups. The erosion of moral values, increasing economic hardship and the changed societal priorities among others were found to have led to the reduction in the level of marital commitment among married people in the Nigerian context.
Intergenerational effects also occur because of commitment. Studies have proven that the emotional stability and growth of children in the family depends on the degree of commitment of the wife and husband (Cheraey et al., 2020). Kids of these strained marital connections tend to develop psychological distress, low self-esteem and insecurity in their relations and this is a highlight of the extensive consequences of deteriorating marital dedication. Therefore, determining the factors that maintain or undermine commitment like resilience and socio-economic security is pertinent in the alleviation of marital breakdowns in the modern societies.
Marital resilience has become a very crucial construct to explain the adaptation and sustenance of marital health to adversity among couples. It refers to the ability of a couple to recover due to challenges in marital life, stress or crisis situations and maintain emotional connectedness and commitment (Sanford, Helms and Solomon, 2016). It is therefore not the lack of conflict in marriage but the possibility of the development even in the face of adversity that constitutes marital resilience.
According to Aydogan and Kizildag (2017), marital resilience is a dynamic process whereby couples rely on the common strengths, trust, as well as empathy to manage challenging situations. Resilient couples are likely to be optimistic and supportive of each other and find meaning in their struggle, thus they turn adversity into a growth opportunity. Conversely, those couples which are not resilient, tend more to withdraw, become hostile or refuse to accept responsibility when conflict occurs which results in a decline of their marital relationships (Sanford et al., 2016).
Nigerian couples with high resilience exhibited a high level of emotional regulation and communication in times of financial hardship or crisis in the family. Also, the couples who combined their positive coping mechanisms including co-problem solving and emotional support, experienced increased intimacy and trust, therefore strengthening their marital commitment.
In addition, there are personal, relational and contextual factors that determine marital resilience. Personal optimism, mutual spirituality and strong social networks also make couples have the ability to overcome marital stressors (Aydogan and Kizildag, 2017). Quality of interpersonal communication has revealed itself as one of the determinants too; open and understanding dialogue can lead to understanding and reduce resentment. In Nigeria, culture tends to support endurance in marriages, though endurance is not only passive but should be active and comes with adaptation and growth amid adversities. Resilience in marriage is an important factor that provides stability and commitment in marital life. It strengthens the emotional and cognitive connections which the committed relationships are built on by enabling the conversion of adversity into unity instead of polarization.
The socio-economic status (SES) is a decisive element that determines the relationships in marriage life and level of commitment between the two partners. SES generally refers to the level of income, education, profession and social status that, together, define the accessibility of resources and the quality of life of a person or a family. Emotional security, mutual ambitions and marital contentment are usually cultivated in the financial and social stability linked with increased SES. On the contrary, economic distress has the potential to augment marital strain, reduce satisfaction and commitment.
It has been proven that partners who have steady finances are less likely to experience conflicts and are also more likely to report higher relational satisfaction (Okunlola, Akande and Adetayo, 2023). Economic stability reduces the stress associated with the achievement of the basic needs and allows partners to focus on the emotional and social aspects of relationship. Financial stress on the other hand often leads to frustration, a breakdown of communication and blame especially in families where the gender roles have specified the role of provision of finances to one partner. Also, it is noteworthy to know that economic disparity and lack of job security in many Nigerian homes has increased unhappiness and lack of loyalty in marriages.
Education, being one of the components of SES also determines the marital commitment. More highly educated people tend to be more aware of the emotional, legal and social demands of marriage and are probably more likely to have better communication and conflict-management skills. However, higher education can lead to a change in gender roles and expectations which at times can create conflicts where the ambitions or incomes of the partners are not similar. The social status also defines how couples perceive their relationship and their ability to deal with external pressures as social comparison, influence of peers and extended families may strengthen or weaken marital relationships.
Apart from the socio-economic factors influencing marriage conflicts, e.g. inflation, joblessness and the ever-growing income disparity, in Nigerian setting, marital relationships are further pressured by socio-economic challenges. Most couples especially in semi urban places like Abeokuta North Local Government cannot balance financial survival and emotional intimacy. This fight very often ends up in loss of satisfaction, loss of trust and loss of commitment in the long run (Nwamidi, 2023).
Socio-economic stability is the baseline on which emotional and relational well-being could thrive. When the couples achieve financial adequacy and social backing, they will be in a good position to maintain dedication and build resolute marriages. On the other hand, prolonged socio-economic stress is likely to destroy communication, trust and sense of purpose that bind marriage.
This indicates that marital commitment is a multidimensional and multi faceted construct and is dependent on psychological, relational and contextual factors. Marital resilience offers an emotional system with the help of which couples deal with stress and continue to be affectionate, but socio-economic status offers structural support that would allow them to remain stable over time. Despite having different dimensions these constructs are interconnected and in resilience and the socio-economic security facilitate adaptation to socio-economic challenges and commitment in socio-economic security mitigates stress and promotes harmony.
Though there is a lot of literature in different parts of the world, researches with the focus on the interaction of marital resilience, socio-economic status and commitment in the Nigerian context are limited. The cultural, economic and social peculiarities of Nigerian marriages require the practical research that would explain the impact of the factors on marital commitment. In this regard, the current research aims at sealing this gap by investigating how marital resilience and socio-economic status affect marital commitment among married people in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun State.
2.2 Theoretical Framework
The current study focuses on how the marital resilience and socio-economic status affect marital commitment among married couples who live in the Abeokuta North Local Government in Ogun State and is based on three major theoretical concepts: the Commitment Theory, the Family Stress Theory and the Ecological Systems Theory. The theories provide a unique and complementary point of view to explain how people are able to maintain commitment in the marital environment despite socio-economic and relationship pressures.
According to social psychologists like Stanley and Markman (1992), who developed the Commitment theory, commitment is a complex concept that involves individual devotion, social duty and institutional bonds which hold the partners responsible. The theory argues that commitment is not only an affective one but a decision to sustain a relationship in the long run and particularly in times of conflict or poverty. In the marital relationship, commitment is operationalized by regular effort, willingness to sacrifice as well as giving precedence to the long-term sustainability of the relationship rather than dissatisfaction in the short term. The theory also makes a difference between personal commitment, the internal motivation to be in a marital union because of love, satisfaction or shared values and constraint commitment which can be external factors discouraging separation. In Abeokuta North, where the family choices are significantly affected by the socio-economic realities, the theory helps in clarifying how the financial stability or the lack thereof, individual ambition and structural commitment impact on the marital perseverance.
Hill (1949) and later on, McCubbin and Patterson (1983) developed the Family Stress Theory; this approach explores how families respond to and adapt to stressful conditions. It assumes that stressors are economic hardship, job loss or relationship conflict, all of which put family stability at risk. Nevertheless, coping abilities and family resilience mediate the adverse impact of this stress. According to the model, resilience works as a buffer whereby it is through such a buffer that couples are able to constructively adapt to adversity and maintain their commitment to their marriage despite the external forces. In this research, Family Stress Theory provides a platform through which one can examine how socio-economic issues impact marital relationships. Married couples with high marital resilience are better placed to view stress as something manageable and employ adaptive coping strategies, thus protecting their commitment. This theoretical perspective is particularly relevant in the socio-economically non-homogeneous environments like Ogun State where the income change and other differences in living conditions are commonly tested in marriage relationships.
Ecological Systems Theory, as proposed by Bronfenbrenner (1979), is a complete perspective of human development and relational behavior that places individuals in a system of environmental nest which include microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem. In marital context, this theory argues that the commitment in marriage is only determined by the interpersonal factors but also the rest of the socio -economic and cultural context. Microsystem includes direct relationship between spouses, exosystem and macrosystem include factors like condition of the economy, cultural values and government policies which have indirect impact on marital stability. Marriage, religious beliefs and economic pressures in Abeokuta North are some of the cultural expectancies that influence marital resilience and commitment. Therefore, Ecological Systems Theory is offered as a holistic way to study an interplay between contextual variables (family values to socioeconomic structures) and individual resilience to support or undermine marital commitment.
Overall, the three theories can be contemplated as a combination that helps to understand the complex interconnection of individual factors, relational adaptability and environmental factors that influence marital commitment. The Theory of commitment presupposes psychological and structural attachments; The Family Stress Theory focuses on coping and other survival strategies and the Ecological Systems Theory expands the analytical scope to include socio-cultural and economic settings. They all make up an integrative design of examining how married people in Abeokuta North maintain dedication to socio-economic strains and the urgency of endurance in modern marital life.
3.1 Methodology
3.2 Research Design
The type of the research design that was used in the study was a descriptive survey research design of a correlational nature. The choice of design was informed by the fact that it allows one to investigate how variables correlate with one another without having to manipulate the variables.
3.3 Study Population
The sample of this study will be made up of the entire population of married people who live in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Nigeria.
3.4 Sample and Sampling Techniques
A total of one hundred (100) married people were used as the sample. Stratified sampling was also implemented so that the representation of different socio-economic and demographic groups, including education, occupation, and income level were adequate.
3.5 Research Instrument
The researcher used a questionnaire as a data collection instrument, which had three standardised scales that were used to measure socio-economic status, marital resilience and marital commitment among married couples.
Socio‑Economic Status Scale
To determine socio-economic status of the participants, the Socioeconomic Status Scale was used (SeSS) created by Fehintola (2020). SeSS is in 4-point Likert scale with Strongly Disagree (1) and Strongly Agree (4) as the two extremes. Items are assessing different indicators of socio-economic status, such as education, occupation, income level, and access to resources (e.g., which type of transportation, how many dependents, and whether or not he/she has a home). The scale showed that it has high internal consistency with Cronbach alpha of 0.859.
Marital Resilience Scale
Marital resilience was measured with the help of the Couple Resilience Inventory (CRI), created by Sanford, Backer -Fulghum, and Carson (2016). The CRI measures both positive and negative relational behaviours on seven items by rating them on a 4-point Likert -type scale with Strongly Disagree (1) as the least positive and Strongly Agree (4) as the most positive. It is the adaptation and the staying of the couples in stressful situations. CRI has a two-dimensional factor structure and its Cronbach alpha of 0.90 assures of its reliability and internal consistency.
Marital Commitment Scale
Adams and Jones (1997) developed the Dimensions of Commitment Inventory (DCI) that was used to measure marital commitment. The DCI evaluates three variables, which are personal commitment, moral commitment and structural commitment. The rating of the items is conducted on the basis of 4-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree = 1, Strongly Agree = 4). Adams and Jones developed reliability of the instrument in which, Cronbach alpha coefficients of personal commitment, moral commitment and structural commitment registered 0.91, 0.89 and 0.86 respectively, which imply high internal consistency.
3.6 Administration of the Research Instrument
The researcher handed out questionnaires and was helped out by trained research assistants. The respondents were also told the purpose of the study and were guaranteed anonymity of their responses. The data collection was done physically in the individual community centres and households within the Abeokuta North Local Government to ensure that the significant number of responses were collected.
3.7 Ethical Considerations
Relevant institutional ethics committee was consulted to grant the ethical approval. The participants were given informed consent beforehand. The research participants were promised anonymity, voluntary participation and the option to exit the study without having to be penalized. Data collected was highly confidential and was only used solely for the research.
3.8 Method of Data Analysis
The data analysis was done using SPSS version 27. Descriptive statistics including, frequency distributions and percentages were to summarise the demographic data. Inferential statistics was carried out at 0.05 significant level using Pearson Product-Moment Correlation (PPMC) and Multiple Regression Analysis.
4.1 Results
RQ1: Are there significant relationship Socio-economic status, Socio-economic Status and Marital Commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state?
Table 1: Summary of correlation matrix showing the relationship between the study variables
| Variables | Mean | SD | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| Marital Commitment | 26.17 | 2.57 | 1.000 | ||
| Socio-economic status | 20.9 | 2.67 | .295** | 1.000 | |
| Marital Resilience | 25.3 | 2.73 | .628** | S** | 1.000 |
The table 1 above reveals the inter-correlational matrix on relationship that exits among independent factors (Socio-economic status and Marital Resilience) and dependent factor (Marital Commitment) among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state; Socio-economic status (r =.295, p<0.05) and Marital Resilience (r =.628, p<0.05) had significant relationship to Marital Commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state. This implies that Socio-economic status and Marital Resilience play a significant role on Marital Commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state.
RQ2: What is the joint contribution of Socio-economic status and Marital Resilience to Marital Commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state?
Table 2: Multiple Regression Analysis on Marital Commitment
| R | R Square | Adjusted R Square | Std. Error of the Estimate | |||
| 0.628 | 0.395 | 0.382 | 2.01735 | |||
| SUMMARY REGRESSION ANOVA | ||||||
| Model | Sum of Squares | Df | Mean Square | F | Sig. | |
| Regression | 257.351 | 2 | 128.675 | 31.618 | .001b | |
| Residual | 394.759 | 97 | 4.070 | |||
| Total | 652.110 | 99 | ||||
Table 2 indicates that the independent variables (Socio-economic status and Marital Resilience) have joint effect on Marital Commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state. The table shows a coefficient of multiple correlations (R) of 0.628 a multiple R2 of 0.395. This means that 38.2% (Adj. R2=0.382) of the variance in the Marital Commitment of married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state is accounted for by the independent variables, when taken together. The table also showed that the analysis of variance for the regression yielded of F (31.618, p<0.05). The above present is significant at 0.05 level. This shows that there is joint contribution of both Socio-economic status and Marital Resilience to the Marital Commitment of married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state.
RQ3: What is the relative contribution of each of Socio-economic status and Marital Resilience to Marital Commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state?
Table 3: Relative contribution of each of the independent factors to the prediction of Marital Commitment
| Coefficientsa | ||||||
| Model | Unstandardized Coefficients | Standardized Coefficients | t | Sig. | ||
| B | Std. Error | Beta | ||||
| (Constant) | 11.044 | 2.069 | 5.338 | .000 | ||
| Socio-economic status | .581 | .083 | .619 | 7.024 | .811 | |
| Marital Resilience | .020 | .085 | .021 | 0.240 | .001 | |
The table 3 shows the relative contribution of each of the independent variables (Socio-economic status and Marital Resilience) to Marital Commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state. The regression coefficient for Marital Resilience (β = .021, t= 0.240, p<0.05) indicates significant effect on Marital Commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state. While the coefficient for Socio-economic status (β = .619, t= 7.024, p<0.05) also indicates relative contribution to Marital Commitment among married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state. That is, factors such as Marital Resilience and Socio-economic status predict and determine Marital Commitment of married individuals in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun state.
4.2 Discussion
The results of this paper show that marital resilience and socio-economic status are major factors that are used to identify marital commitment among married people in Abeokuta North Local Government, Ogun State, Nigeria. Correlation analysis also indicated statistically significant positive relationship between marital resilience, socio-economic status and marital commitment. Most importantly, it was noted that marital resilience showed a stronger relationship compared to socio-economic factor meaning that the ability of couples to adjust to a crisis has a stronger impact on commitment as opposed to their socio economic status. This observation is not new since the study by Sanford et al. (2016) highlighted the importance of positive resilience behaviours to promote marital commitment.
Nevertheless, the results of regression analysis revealed that the combination of marital resilience and socio-economic status explain 38.2% of the variance in marital commitment ( Adj. R2 = 0.382). This means that these factors are statistically relevant but there are other external factors, which could also play a role in the commitment of marital e.g., cultural norms, extended family and personal values. Regression coefficients also indicated that socio- economic status has a stronger influence on marital commitment compared to marital resilience and this implies that despite the fact that resilience helps married couples to adapt to a poor situation, socio-economic status is a stronger predictor of long-term commitment. This shows that marital stress is lessened by high socio-economic status and it also improves the stability of marriages and leads to marital commitment among married people.
4.3 Conclusion
This study concludes that both marital resilience and socio-economic status significantly contribute to marital commitment. However, socio-economic status plays a more dominant role in determining how committed individuals remain in their marriages. Despite the importance of resilience counseling, the socio-economic status provides a stronger foundation for marital commitment in the context of this study. The study suggests the importance of both emotional and financial preparedness before marriage to foster marital commitment. Although couples with higher levels of marital resilience are better equipped to handle marital stress, low socio-economic status may still impede marital commitment among married individuals in Nigeria. Studies has shown how the influence of Socio-economic status on marital commitment has been the same in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Finland and some other countries (Jalovaara, 2002). Socio-economic status has been shown to affect marital commitment according to some other research studies (e.g., Sassler, Addo and Lichter, 2012).
4.4 Recommendation
Based on the findings from this study, the following recommendations are suggested to Marriage Counselors and other stakeholders:
New Couples should be encouraged to engage in financial planning and have multiple sources of income to enhance their economic stability.
Government and NGOs should provide economic empowerment programs targeting married individuals to reduce the financial strain on families.
Marital Resilience Counseling should focus on developing positive coping mechanisms for marital challenges and fostering adjustments from each partner as a sign of commitment towards the marriage.
Religious and community groups should endeavour to set up marital resilience training in order to help couples especially newly wedded ones to build strong emotional bonds.
Engaged couples should undergo comprehensive pre-marital resilience counseling that covers both financial and emotional resilience in order to prepare their mind for any possible adversity that may arise to challenge the efforts of each individual in fostering Marital Commitment.
Marital commitment should be prevented by offering post marital resilience counselling to couples experiencing marital dissatisfaction or financial strain.
The employers could also implement work-life balance policies, which are family-friendly policies, which boost marital stability.
By focusing on both the economic and emotional aspects of marriage life at the same time, couples in Abeokuta North and other places will achieve greater marital fulfilment and long-term dedication.
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