ASSERTIVENESS AND SOCIAL SUPPORT AS CORRELATES OF MARITAL SATISFACTION AMONG MARRIED CHRISTIAN COUPLES IN ASABA

Abstract

This study investigated the role of assertiveness and social support  in fostering   marital satisfaction among married Christians in Asaba, Nigeria.  A total of five hundred (500) married couples were selected for this study. The population of this study was married Christian couples and sample was drawn from three (3) different churches namely: Anglican, Catholic and Pentecostal; all of which were located in Asaba Metropolis, Delta State. A purposive sampling technique was used to select the participants.    The participants comprised 156 males (31.12%) and 344 females (68.8%) married couples who have had (5) years of marital experience. The age of the participants ranges from 20-70 years, with a mean age of 50.97 and a standard deviation of 8.47. The results revealed that assertiveness positively and significantly correlated with marital satisfaction at r= .28, p <.01. It was found that perceived family support, friends' support, and perceived significant others positively and significantly correlated with marital satisfaction at r =  .31, p < .01; .28, p< .01, and .22, p<.01. The two predictor variables jointly accounted for about 16% of the total variation in marital satisfaction (R² =.16, F(4, 495) = 24.00, p<.001). Suggesting that assertiveness and social support are linearly related to marital satisfaction. Thus, when assertiveness and social support increases marital satisfaction also increases. The two independent variables contributed independently to the prediction of marital satisfaction: assertiveness (β=.25, t=6.10, p<.001) and perceived family support (β= .28, t=3.19, p<.001). In conclusion, this study revealed that assertivesness and social support are important facors in marital satisfaction. It is recommended that those who are entrusted with family and marriage therapies especially priests, pastors, counsellors, and psychologists should be trained on, and    incorporate assertive therapy in addressing   marital or couple relationship problems   especially during marriage therapy or marriage preparation sessions.