Psychosocio-Spiritual Factors of Marital Satisfaction among Couples in the Archdiocese of Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract

Marital satisfaction is a crucial condition for providing a secure environment for the family, emotional health, and overall functioning of family relationships. In religious groups, the marital relationship is usually influenced by psychological, social, and spiritual factors. This research attempted to study the psychosocial-spiritual factors that influence marital satisfaction in the parish families in the Archdiocese of Nairobi, Kenya. The specific psychosocial-spiritual factors studied in marital satisfaction included communication, emotional support, family support, socioeconomic problems, conflict resolution, and spiritual exercises. The research used a qualitative descriptive design and was held in selected parishes in the Archdiocese of Nairobi, Kenya. The respondents were Catholic married couples. The samples were obtained using purposive sampling, and a total of twenty couples (forty individual respondents) participated. Open-ended questionnaires were used to collect data. The results revealed that effective communication, emotional support, and effective solutions to conflicts were vital in ensuring marital satisfaction, providing trust, intimacy, and interdependence in social relationships. The respondents experienced inefficient communications at times due to stronger emotional reactions, more financial than time resources, and more burdens of emotional strain. The findings further revealed that the family members of the couples became a pillar of emotional and financial support, especially in times of economic distress, experienced a lot of interference most of the time, and were not seen as very beneficial most of the time. The general spiritual aspect found to be relevant in marital satisfaction was the shared spiritual exercises like prayer and participation in church activities, as they enhanced marital bonding, aided in overcoming difficulties, and strengthened commitment. Based on the findings, marital satisfaction appeared to be a result of the interaction of psychological competence, social environment, and spiritual resources.