ABSTRACT

This study investigated Relationship between Psycho-Social Variables and Marital Adjustment among Married women in Federal College of Education Zaria, Nigeria. The study had four objectives, four research questions and four null hypotheses. The population was twenty thousand and forty five (2,045) married women and the study sample consisted of three hundred and twenty two respondents (322) was derived from Krejice and Morgan‟s sample size distribution table. Two instruments was adapted Marital Adjustment Questionnaire (MAQ) and Marital Adjustment Test (MAT) which was tested and certified to be reliable at probability of 0.704 coefficients. The research design used was survey research design. Both descriptive and inferential statistical methods were used for the data analyses of this study. All four null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level of significant using Pearson‟s Product Moment Correlation (PPMC). Findings revealed that significant negative relationship existed between in-laws‟ interference and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria (r = -0.203), significant negative relationship existed between suspicion and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria (r = -0.332), significant positive relationship existed between communication and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria Nigeria (r = 0.152), significant positive relationship existed between love and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria (r = 0.158). On the basis of these findings it was recommended that Married women in Federal College of Education Zaria, Nigeria needs help of school Counsellors to educate them on how to develop positive relationship with their in-laws so as to enhance better marital adjustment. For example, if the women orientation towards their in-laws could be change positively it will boost their marital adjustment higher according to the result of this finding. it will boosts their marital adjustment higher among others.

1.1 Background to the Study

The importance of marital adjustment cannot be over-emphasized; the adjustment of each marriage or family is eventually the growth of the nation at large. Marital adjustment as referred to in this study as individual‟s subjective experience of marriage in terms of how their needs will be met, and how the individual‟s expectations and desires are to be satisfied. In addition satisfaction of the needs of each spouse is essential to marital adjustment.

Human beings strive for well-being and happiness in various spheres of life, be it personal, social, economic, marital and work. So the achievement and success in these spheres lead to satisfaction in life, whereas inadequacy to do the same may leads to frustration. Therefore, human beings constantly have to adjust to various roles, environmental demands and pressures throughout the course of life.

Marriage is purely the highest of all human interaction therefore, must never be entered into carelessly and in marriage couples face challenges in the beginning of marital relationship so they need to adapt and adjust to everyday life and it needs both external and internal adjustments after marriage. External adjustments refer to making adjustments to fulfill the societal demands. Society‟s needs and expectations may conflict with couple‟s need and requirements, whereas, internal adjustments refer to adjusting to different personalities of each other. Marital adjustment is actually the adjustment to some important matters of life. Marriage consists of a life of effort and concern, felicitation and melancholy, illness and health. It consists of being young and becoming old, dealing with small and big problems, coping with internal and external hardships and threats. A lot of days, weeks, months, and years are lived jointly. During this lengthy phase,

the couple lives together in proximity, which unveils all. It soon become clear that big things can matter very little while small things can become awfully big, often over a small matter a great dispute arises up.

Marriage can explain how any person can be awfully small, mistakes and shortcomings or deficiencies are visible in marriage. According to Ramcharan (2008), there are two elements in marriage. One is bodily (sexual, wish) and the other one is divine (love, respect and adore). Towards the end of life both elements are coming closer and closer and at a particular point of time the later aspect (love, respect, and adore) becomes evident. A well-adjusted couple has consensus on financial matters and most importantly how to deal with in-laws. The couple has to change its‟ preferences, interests, and aims of life so as to share love, and give confidence to each other and as a result of these adjustments they either reduce or stop complaining about their marriage (Jalil & Muazzam, 2013).

Marital adjustment has long been a trendy topic in studies of the family, most likely because the idea is supposed to be narrowly associated to the stability of any marriage. Marital adjustment is a process which is created during couples‟ life because it is necessary for taste conformity, person‟s traits recognition, behavioral rules creation and relational models formation. Thus, marital adjustment is an evolutional process between a couple (Aminjafari, Padash, Baghban & Abedi 2012).

Marital adjustment is not only a value term, but also a relative term. It implies firmness and strength to endure under hard as well as easy circumstances. Marriage and family problems represent a unique but common, category of adjustment difficulty that causes people to seek psychological treatment. Problems can develop in a couple‟s relationships because of a medical

or psychological problem in either person, or in one of their children. Parent-child problems can also create problems within the marriage. (Aminjafari, Padash, Baghban & Abedi 2012).

In the present modern era, professionals like bank employees and doctors have to spend more time at their work place and are more indulge in activities related to their career and professions. They may have less time to fulfill their family responsibilities which may lead to dissatisfaction. in which marital maladjustments are the consequences of dissatisfaction. (Shikha, Darshan & Kavita, 2013).

One definition of adjustment is adaptation behavior that permits us to meet the demand of the environment (Kalpana Bharambe & Pravin, 2013). Marriage is by far the most important personal relationship for any person and has been described as the most intimate, delicate and far reaching relationship between man and woman. The stability and continuity of a marriage is important not just to the members of the marital dyad, but to their family and community as a whole. Marital adjustment is a process which is created during couples‟ life because it is necessary for taste conformity, person‟s traits recognition, behavioral rules creation and relational models formation. Thus, marital adjustment is an evolutional process between couples (Aminjafari, Padash, Baghban & Abedi 2012). It is an adaptation between husband and wife to a point where there is companionship, agreement on basic values, affectionate intimacy and accommodation. In other words, a well adjusted marriage involves a relationship in which the attitudes and actions of each of the couple produce an environment which is highly favourable to the proper functioning of the personality structures of the couple especially in areas of primary relations. In this case they would have come to an adjustment of interest, objectives and values, by which they are in harmony, in demonstrations of affection, sharing confidences and having fewer or no serious complaints about their marriage. Soon after marriage, the period of marital

adjustment begins which is a very trying period when the couple is faced with reality of each other‟s way of life.

Psycho-social referred to as both psychological and social aspects of individual adjustment in marriage such as in-laws‟ interference, suspicion, love and communication. In- laws are relatives by marriage, especially the parents of the husband or wife. In-laws are generally perceived as “enemies” by some couples. They are usually regarded as unnecessary interference in the scheme of things. Except in a few cases, many couples would rather keep their in-laws at arm‟s length because they believed too much familiarity brings contempt. But, as much as many couples would want to do this, the extended family practice by African culture may not permit it. Women especially, suffer the major consequence of in-laws‟ interference in their marriage because in-laws see them as intruders who deprive them of the love and attention needed from their son. (Wayas, 2015).

Another variable of psycho-social is suspicion. Suspicion could be used interchangeably with cheating, jealousy, distrust, mistrust and doubt. Suspicion which is an act of suspecting; the imagination or apprehension of the existence of doubt (especially something wrong or hurtful) without proof, or upon very slight evidence, or upon no evidence. Suspicion has deprived a large number of people their joy and peace; it has even led to cases of battering, divorce, murder and so on. (Sneh, 2017)

Communication is the process of transmitting and receiving ideas, information, and messages. Healthy and poor communication in homes/marriages contributes to the adjustment or maladjustment of such marriage. Communication in marriage is vital to a happy marriage and family life. Without good communication all the marriage adviser/counsellors in the world cannot help rebuild a bad marriage relationship into a good one. It is seen as an important which

enables each spouse to express their desires, needs and to treat the other persons in an acceptable way (Drescher, 2000). Married couples with vital relationships are most likely to experience continued, positive interactions within marriage. Those who enjoy spending time together and can confide in each other usually maintain a close and giving relationship as they age. However, those couples who are unsatisfied in the earlier years of their marriage tend to have a negative experience in later life. Their relationships are difficult, their communication conflictual and unrewarding. (Shweta, 2013)

Love is another issue that calls for adjustment in marriage as one of the main requirements of marriage; husband and wife should be friendly and show affection to each other. They should have the interest of each other and display kindness, develop positive attitudes towards each other, regard and treat one and other as best friend. Couples should show care, concern and be ready to give as much or more than they receive. They should identify positive qualities and encourage the display of such attributes. Occasionally, they should send notes expressing love and acknowledging that their partners are lovable individuals. Couples should always think of the positive sides of their partners and show admiration rather than condemnation. (Shweta, 2013).

1.2 Statement of the Problem

The researcher observed poor marital relationship from her interaction with friends both married and divorced women that some of the problems of marital relationship that calls for adjustment have been found to be associated with some psycho-social variable such as in-laws‟ interference, suspicion, love, jealousy, communication flow, age at marriage, trust, sex, absence of children in marriage and homes that causes breakdown in good marital relationship.

Some women believes that their in-laws are the one controlling their marriage particularly the mother in-law, the husband‟s mother usually considered as the dominate figure with whom the relationship could be doomed to be problematic and another one reported emotional tension whenever their mother in-law pays them visits, while in another case a man asks his mother to take care of his young wife but the women does the opposite by forcing her to do heavy work or perform menial services. Due to the negative expectations of most Nigeria women regarding their mother in-law, the young bride already believes that her mother in-law would make her marriage to be problematic. Also there is this common discussion about husband having lunch or drinks after work with members of opposite sex, discussing their work problems and leaving nothing to talk about with their spouse at home and sharing intimate issues with people other than their partner and the rest of it and lots of communication imbalance in the family, partners not showing love and affection enough after having some kids as some of this contributed to frequency of divorce and separation among couples. This situation perhaps could be remedied by the use of psycho-social variables such as in-laws‟ interference, suspicion, love and communication.

The issue of marital adjustment is crucial and important to every society and national development. The danger of uncertainty associated with the problem of adjustment in marriage has therefore created serious challenges to marriage therapists/counsellors. To this Owuamanam, Osankinta (2005), Goel and Narang (2012), ascertain that some marriage even breakdown before their first anniversaries that if marriage is healthy and adjustable, and if the couples are satisfied the society in which the family is the foundation would be strongly build. Therefore, in this study psychological and social variables in terms of in-laws‟ interference, suspicion, love and communication will be examined to see how they are related to marital adjustment

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The objectives of the study are to:

1. Find out the relationship between in-laws interference and marital adjustment among married women in Federal college of education, Zaria, Nigeria.

2. Find out the relationship between suspicion and marital adjustment among married women in Federal college of education, Zaria, Nigeria.

3. Examine the relationship between communication and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

4. Find out the relationship between love and marital adjustment among married women in Federal college of education, Zaria, Nigeria.

1.4 Research Questions

Based on the stated objectives, the following questions were raised:

i. Is there relationship between in-laws interference and marital adjustment among married women in Federal college of education, Zaria, Nigeria.

ii. Is there relationship between suspicion and marital adjustment among married women in Federal college of education, Zaria, Nigeria.

iii. Is there relationship between communication and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

iv. Is there relationship between love and marital adjustment among married women in Federal college of education, Zaria, Nigeria.

1.5 Research Hypotheses

From the itemized research questions raised above, the following null hypotheses were tested:

HO₁: There is no significant relationship between in-laws‟ interference and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

HO₂: There is no significant relationship between suspicion and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

HO₃: There is no significant relationship between communication and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

HO₄: There is no significant relationship between love and marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

1.6 Basic Assumptions

This study was based on the following assumptions:

1. that in-law‟s interference may be related with marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

2. that suspicion may have significant relationship with marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

3. that communication as one of the psycho-social variables would be significantly related with marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

4. that love may be significantly related with marital adjustment among married women in Federal College of Education, Zaria, Nigeria.

1.7 Significance of the Study

This study would be of benefit to married women, marriage/family counsellors, social workers, business organisations and the nation at large in the following ways: For married women, when the causes of psycho-social problems are known, they will be able to adjust or manage the causal factor(s) leading to problem in their home. For instance, if communication is the major problem among married women, this study will provide measures on how to communicate effectively thereby establishing an adjusted home which will enhance the upbringing of proper children and it will better the lot of the society. Marriage/family counsellors will benefit immensely from the result of this study because it will help in assisting their clients to solve various problems having known the likely variables that influence marital adjustment in marriages, implying that, the study will also help counsellors to offer qualitative counsel to couples and family members that come for counselling. Social workers are part of helping professionals so this study will enable them (social workers) to offer qualitative help to individuals, couples and family members that come for assistance.

Well adjusted marriages enhance the total well-being of every member of such marriage/family, therefore, business organisations will benefit from this study because the employed individuals from adjusted homes will contribute intelligently to the growth of the organization. When such an individual is becoming less productive; the organization may help him/her seek for professional assistance of a counsellor, this in turn, will again enhance effective delivery of the employee. Every marriage/family is a unit in the society/nation, and when there is peace in marriages, the nation at large will experience peace and growth in all spheres of life.