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Marital Communication as Moderators of the Relationship between Marital Conﬂict Resolution and Marital Satisfaction

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DOI: 10.1080/01926187.2022.2089404

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Marital Communication as Moderators of the Relationship between Marital Conflict Resolution and Marital Satisfaction

Zewdu Girma Shifaw

To cite this article: Zewdu Girma Shifaw (2022): Marital Communication as Moderators of the Relationship between Marital Conflict Resolution and Marital Satisfaction, The American Journal of Family Therapy, DOI: 10.1080/01926187.2022.2089404

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The AmericAn JournAl of fAmily TherApy

Marital Communication as Moderators of the Relationship between Marital Conflict Resolution and Marital Satisfaction

Zewdu Girma Shifaw

psychology Department college of education and Behavioral Studies, madda Walabu university, Bale robe, ethiopia

ABSTRACT

This study aims to test the hypothesis that marital communication moderates the relationship between marital conflict resolution (predictor) and marital satisfaction (criterion) after controlling for marital stability and sexual relationship among heterosexual married individuals in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The results of the present study fully support the hypothesis that marital communication moderates the relationship between marital conflict resolution and marital satisfaction. Therefore, marriage counselors or other professionals working in marriage counseling must place a high priority on marital communication as an essential tool for marital conflict resolution and developing and maintaining a long-lasting satisfying marital relationship among married individuals.

Abbreviations: ENRICH: evaluation and nurturing relationship issues, communication, and happiness; F: frequency; M: mean;

MC: marital communication; MCR: marital conflict resolution;

MS: marital satisfaction; MSI: Marital Status Inventory; RDAS:

Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale; SD: standard deviation; SPSS:

statistical package for social sciences; SR: sexual relationship

Introduction

Being born with the wish to start a family and maintain a healthy marital relationship is universally human. The marital satisfaction that partners sense and experience in their partnership is an important facet of a healthy marriage relationship. According to the literature, marital satisfaction refers to a subjective evaluation of a relationship by each person in response to the question, “how satisfied are you?” (Kaplan & Maddux, 2002; Kashani &

Vaziri, 2011). Individual contentment with marriage life is seen as family happiness, which in turn ensures the notion of life satisfaction and allows for societal progress and excellence, as well as material and spiritual improve- ment. Equally, a displeased marital relationship leads to increased emotional

https://doi.org/10.1080/01926187.2022.2089404

CONTACT Zewdu Girma Shifaw [email protected] psychology Department college of education and Behavioral Studies, madda Walabu university, Bale robe, et 1000, ethiopia.

ARTICLE HISTORY Received 15 April 2022 Revised 4 June 2022 Accepted 6 June 2022 KEYWORDS

Marital communication;

marital conflict resolution; marital satisfaction; married individuals; moderation;

hierarchical multiple linear regression

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disturbances, marital incompatibility, marital instability, and the rate of divorce. Marital satisfaction is the most significant factor for the sustainability and durability of everyday life, and it is critical to understand the variables that influence it to improve the quality of the marital relationship.

Many researchers have attempted to find and comprehend the factors that influence marital relationship satisfaction, as well as how these variables are related to satisfying relationships. Marital stability, sexual satisfaction, marital conflict resolution, and marital communication are well-acknowledged to be crucial in influencing marital satisfaction, among other essential variables. Having a favorable sexual life is the basis of a happy marriage and family, and it can bring about a satisfactory and convenient marital relationship, which is an essential component of health-related quality of life (Holdsworth et al., 2018). Previous research findings indicated that a sexual relationship is a priority in married life (Alahveriani et al., 2010). Similarly, Zewdu (2020) discovered that, after controlling for major marital satisfaction determinants, the most important factor of marital satisfaction was a sexual relationship, followed by marital stability. It is vital to stress that marital stability is distinct from marital satisfaction, even though marital satisfaction can operate as a moderator for marital stability (Gager & Sanchez, 2003). Though the majority of pleasing marriages are unwavering, marital dissatisfaction does not always result in marital dissolution (Johnson et al., 1986). According to Heaton and Albrecht (1991), not all stable marriages are happy; however, this group is very small, with 7.4 percent of married men and 7 percent of married women in stable unhappy marriages. The longitudinal influence of marital satisfaction on the risk of divorce looks uncomplicated since studies have shown a direct correlation between marital satisfaction and marital stability (Gager & Sanchez, 2003).

Marriage squabbles are unavoidable. The way spouses handle their dis- agreements is crucial to the success of their marriage. For couples who want to make their marriages happy and successful, the question arises as to whether or not conflict can be used to strengthen the relationship.

Kurdek (1995) discovered that each partner’s marital happiness is positively associated with the frequency with which each loved partner employs constructive conflict resolution tactics such as agreement, compromise, and humor. Conflict may be an experience in all marriages at some time or other, but how the conflicts are handled may vary broadly from marriage to marriage and even within the same marriage over time.

Communication is a necessary tool for conflict resolution. Couple communication could be a pathway for this relationship. If a couple’s discussions about the problem of the day are filled with understanding, then their communication pattern may be the channel that mitigates the impacts

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THE AMERICAN JouRNAl oF FAMIly THERAPy 3

of the conflict and provides a buffer to safeguard their marital contentment. It is important to realize that the majority of couples experiencing marital conflict have communication issues with one another. Many studies have shown that appropriate communication plays a role in adaptation and marital satisfaction (Halford et al., 2001; Schilling et al., 2003; Shirali, 2008; Yalcin & Karahan, 2007). However, communications that are not constructive, such as fighting, may lead to increased marital distress and reduced marital satisfaction (Gottman, 2004; Heene et al., 2005).

So far, previous studies were reported the association among marital conflict resolution, communication, sexual relationship, stability and marital satisfaction and their factors but there is no evidence for the moderating role of marital communication in the relationship between marital conflict resolution and marital satisfaction by controlling for marital stability and sexual satisfaction. It is also important to recognize that very little data are available on marital satisfaction and other marital relationship affairs that have been conducted with participants from non-industrialized societies.

Finally, it is justifiable to assist married people in resolving marital difficulties by researching aspects influencing marital satisfaction. To this end, the objec- tive of this research is to address this vacuum in the literature by scrutinizing the moderating effects of marital communication on the association between marital conflict resolution and marital satisfaction while controlling for marital stability and sexual relationship. Marriage and family counselors, Matrimony educators and married people may find this study beneficial.

Methodology Study area

The study’s target populations were married individuals living in Addis Ababa’s Nifas Silk Lafto Sub-City. Addis Ababa is the capital and largest city of Ethiopia. Addis Ababa, being a primate city in the center of the country, has become a melting pot of individuals from all backgrounds and geographical origins. The latest census in Ethiopia was in 2007; hence the present population of the city is based on estimations. There are many estimates, some of which put the population at close to 5 million. However, the national central statistical agency that carries out national census forecasts puts the population of Addis Ababa at 3,273, 000, with 51.6%

of the population being female and 48.4% being male (Central Statistical Agency (CSA),), 2015). According to this number, Addis Ababa’s population accounts for 3.6 percent of the national population and 18 percent of Ethiopia’s urban population. The Addis Ababa City administration com- prises 11 sub-cities/zonal administrative offices. Amharic is the working language of the city administration.

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Nifas Silk Lafto Sub-City is one of the 11 sub-cities of Addis Ababa, located in the capital’s southwest area, and contains a total of 12 Weredas/

districts/administrative structures. There are 335,740 people in total, with 158,126 men and 177,614 women.

Participants

The study’s populations were all heterosexual married people who were officially tied by the state of marriage as husband and wife and resided in the Nifas Silk Lafto Sub-City of Addis Ababa. Three Weredas were chosen from the total sub-city’s Wereda/districts to obtain samples for the actual investigation. There were 1700 households in these three Weredas, and 326 married persons were chosen from among them. To minimize data contamination, the researcher gathered data from one of the love partners rather than both of them. Respondents must be in committed marital partnerships for at least six months and cannot be single parents or cohabiting spouses. The study units were chosen using a two-stage stratified systematic and simple random sampling approach.

Data Collection Instruments and procedures

Demographic questionnaires and Likert-type instruments are used to collect data. Five constructs were measured via self-report Likert-type questionnaires: These are marital satisfaction, marital stability, sexual relationship, marital communication, and marital conflict resolution. All of the measures listed above have been used in prior studies and have demonstrated strong psychometric characteristics.

These measurements were first translated into the participants’ native language (Amharic) and then back-translated by two English Literature graduate students who were conversant in both languages. As a measure of marital satisfaction, the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS) was utilized. It is a fourteen-item updated version of the original Dyadic Adjustment Scale, which was created to assess marital satisfaction (Spanier, 1976). The ENRICH Marital Conflict Resolution Scale was used to compute married people’s marital conflict resolution. This scale evaluates the partner’s perception of the existence and resolution of the dispute in the relationship.

To measure marital communication ENRICH Marital Communication Scale was used, and it is a 10-item measure of couple communication (Fowers

& Olson, 1989). It focuses on a person’s sentiments and attitudes regarding communication in a relationship. The Marital Status Inventory (MSI) was used as a measure of marital stability. To assess sexual relationships, the ENRICH Sexual Relationship Scale, a 10-item scale that analyzes the

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partner’s sentiments about the affectionate and sexual relationship, was used. In this work, pilot testing was carried out to assess the internal reliability of the Amharic version of the standardized measures. The pilot test results from Cronbach’s alpha tests show that there was consistency in the items measuring each construct, and all of the scales are judged accept- able, with Alpha values ranging from .82 to .86.

Data processing and analysis

Before doing any statistical analysis, the obtained data were sorted, verified, and prepared for analysis using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) window version 23. Hierarchical multiple linear regression tests were performed to test the hypothesis that marital communication moderates the association between marital conflict resolution and marital satisfaction. The data were examined for the assumptions of univariate, bivariate and multivariate statistics. Multicollinearity was evident in the current moderation study; centering variables were used to avoid or lessen it among variables in the regression analysis. According to data analysis, other assumptions of multiple linear regression analysis were not broken.

There was also no violation of normality, linearity and the assumption of homoscedasticity. As is customary in social science studies, p ≤.05 was used to signify statistical significance.

Ethical clearances

The Institutional Review Board of Addis Ababa University’s School of Psychology provided ethical support and clearance. The Nifas Silk Lafto Sub-City Administration also granted written authorization for the study to be conducted among married persons residing in the sub-city through- out the study period. The respondents were made fully aware of the research’s element and goal, and only consenting participants were included in the study. Respondents were advised that the information they provided would be kept anonymous and used only for academic reasons.

Results

Descriptive statistics for the study variables

Means, standard deviations, kurtosis, skewness, and the zero-order correlations of the variables were computed. Tables 1 and 2 show the outcomes.

Even though 326 questionnaires were issued to research participants, 308 completed copies of the questionnaires were returned, yielding a 94.5 percent

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response rate, and all of them were suitable for statistical analysis. In this survey, 178 (57.8%) of the total respondents were females, while 130 were males (42.2%). The majority of samples were lived in their first marriage/

union, 275(89.3%). As Table 1 shows that the absolute values of skewness were all lower than or around 1 and those of the kurtosis were all lower than three (i.e., ranging from −1.33 to −.14) which suggested that all the continuous variables were approximately univariately normally distributed (Hair, 1998). As presented above, study participants’ marital satisfaction, marital stability, sexual relationship, marital communication and marital conflict resolution mean scores were found 52.01(SD = 13.74), 11.14 (SD = 3.55), 38.70 (SD = 7.53), 36.15 (SD = 6.40), and 35.19 (SD = 8.73), respectively.

And as Table 2 shows below all variables had a strong positive and significant association among themselves ranging from r =.55 to r =.70, a p<.01.

Hypothesis

Hierarchical multiple linear regression tests were performed to test the hypothesis that marital communication moderates the relationship between marital conflict resolution (predictor) and marital satisfaction (criterion) after controlling marital stability and sexual relationship. According to Baron and Kenny (1986) to test moderation three causal paths are tested: 1) regressing the outcome variable on the predictor (Path “A”); 2) regressing the outcome variable on the moderator (Path “B”), and 3) regressing the outcome variable on the interaction or product terms of the predictor and the moderator (Path “C”). If the interaction route C is significant, the

Table 1. means, standard deviations, kurtosis, and skewness for the main study variables are summarized.

Variables M SD Kurtosis Skewness

marital satisfaction 52.01 13.74 −1.13 .48

martial stability 11.14 3.55 −1.33 .78

Sexual relationship 38.70 7.53 -.74 .35

marital communication 36.15 6.40 -.24 -.44

marital conflict resolution 35.19 8.73 -.14 -.95

note. “M” denotes means, SD (standard deviation).

Table 2. The zero-order correlations among measured variables for all study samples.

Variables 1 2 3 4 5

1. marital satisfaction _ .68** .70** .67** .69**

2. marital stability _ .58** .55** .57**

3. Sexual relationship _ .64** .66**

4. marital communication _ .70**

5. marital conflict resolution _

Note.

*Significant atp<.05,

**p<.01 (2-tailed).

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moderator hypothesis is supported (Figure 1). There may also be main effects for the predictor, but Paths “A” and/or “B” need not be significant.

As Table 3 shows above a hierarchical multiple linear regression tests were performed to test the hypothesis that marital communication moderates the association between marital conflict resolution and marital satisfaction after controlling for marital stability and sexual relationship. Sexual relationship and marital stability (i.e., controlled variables) in the first block accounted for a significant amount of variance in married individuals’ marital satisfaction, R²=.63, F (2,305) = 262.72, p<.001. In block two, marital communication and marital conflict resolution had a significant and positive main effect on marital satisfaction after the controlled variables, b=.42, ^β

=.19, t = 4.09 and b=.33, ^β=.21, t = 4.31, respectively, p < .001. In this block the analysis indicated that about 6% of the variation in marital satisfaction could be explained by the two main effects after the controlling variables,^∆F (2,303) = 30.94, p<.001. In block 3 of the moderation analysis the interaction term between marital communication and marital conflict resolution was added to the regression model, which accounted for (i.e., 2%) a significant proportion of variance in married individuals’ marital satisfaction, ^∆R²=.02,

∆F(1,302)= 20.32, p<.001, b= .04, ^β= .16, t = 4.51, p< .001. In this third block, after controlling for control variables, both main effects (marital communication, b= .39, ^β = .18, t = 4.01, p< .001 and marital conflict resolution, b= .41, ^β= .26, t = 5.34, p< .001) and the interaction term was found to be a significant predictor of marital satisfaction.

Discussion

The major contribution of this study is to show the moderation role of marital communication on the relationship between marital conflict resolution and marital satisfaction after controlling for marital stability and

Figure 1. When the relationship noted by path c is significant, the moderation hypothesis is supported. paths A and B may, but do not need to, be significant.

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sexual relationship. The current study’s findings fully support the hypothesis that states marital communication moderates the relationship between marital conflict resolution and marital satisfaction after controlling for marital stability and sexual relationship. The study reveals that marital conflict resolution positively predicted marital satisfaction. When it interacted with marital communication, the result showed that married people who were able to effectively resolve the conflict were more likely to experience healthy marital satisfaction. This is especially true for people who communicate well with their spouses. The most persuasive explanation for this finding is that dialogue is utilized to resolve marital conflict. What leads couples to conflict is a lack of or poor communication. I strongly believe that couples should talk in addition to issues that make them feel anxious to secure a satisfying marital relationship. According to research on marital communication and conflict resolution, the foundation of all relationships is a couple’s capacity to establish meaning via communication.

This study still confirms previous knowledge that both marital communication and marital conflict resolution have a significant, positive, and independent effect on marital satisfaction (Gottman, 2004; Halford et al., 2001; Heene et al., 2005; Kurdek, 1995; Schilling et al., 2003; Shirali, 2008;

Yalcin & Karahan, 2007; Zewdu, 2020). Furthermore, the current study exposes that marital communication has a role in moderating the relationship between marital conflict resolution and marital satisfaction after controlling for marital stability and sexual relationship, which was not previously established. Twosomes’ communication is a fundamental factor in understanding a couple’s satisfying relationship (Heyman, 2001). Perren et al. (2005) found that a reduction in communication is an important cause of reduction in marital satisfaction. Faulkner and Mansfield (2002) also showed that the communicative performance of couples and inter- personal relationships between spouses are the strongest predictors of marital satisfaction and that disturbed communication is the strongest

Table 3. moderated hierarchical multiple linear regression analysis of marital communication and marital conflict resolution on marital satisfaction.

Blocks /predictors B β t P R R² ∆R² F ∆F

Block 1 .79 .63 ___ 262.72*** ___

control variables

Block 2 .83 .69 .06 172.61*** 30.94***

control variables

marital communication .42 .19 4.09 .001

marital conflict .33 .21 4.31 .001

Block 3 .85 .71 .02 150.96*** 20.32***

control variables

marital communication .39 .18 4.01 .001

marital conflict .41 .26 5.34 .001

marital com×marital conflict .04 .16 4.51 .001 note.^*p<.05,^**<.01,^***p<.001.

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predictor of marital conflicts among couples. When communication break- down prevails, misunderstanding and mistrust hamper marital relationships.

Therefore, marriage counselors or other professionals working in marriage counseling must place a high priority on marital communication as an essential tool for marital conflict resolution and developing and maintaining a long-lasting satisfying marital relationship among married individuals.

Implications for family therapy practice

Every marriage/family is a unit in society/nation, and when there is peace and stability in marriages, the nation at large will experience peace and growth in all spheres of life. Marital satisfaction, among other variables, is one of the most important factors for the sustainability, happiness, and durability of everyday family/individual life and it is critical to understand the variables that influence it in order to improve the quality of marital life. According to the current study, marital stability, sexual pleasure, marital conflict resolution, and marital communication are all well-known factors that influence marital satisfaction. For example, having a favorable sexual relationship can bring about a satisfactory and convenient marital relationship, which is the basis of a happy marriage and family. Thus, during marriage/family counseling, counselors recommend assessing a married individual’s sexual relationship when married people face marital dissatisfaction. In addition, the results showed that married individuals who were able to effectively resolve the conflict were more likely to experience healthy marital satisfaction. This is particularly true for persons who have good communication with their partners. As a result, therapists would be wise to consider how teaching constructive communication skills and eliminating destructive communication skills may alter the impact of marital conflict on the marriages of their clients.

Direction for future research

This work contributes to the growth of marital satisfaction research into non-Western cultures. Ethiopia’s setting is markedly different from that of the United States and other Western countries. Therefore, the findings of the study can be used as a springboard for other researchers who want to do further research on marital satisfaction in an Ethiopian context. It calls for a more in-depth qualitative investigation approach to provide a more in-depth understanding of how different factors interact in married individuals’ lives, as well as a study that reflects insights to remedial interventions to reduce the risk factors contributing to couples’ conflict, which may be breeding divorce.

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Limitations of the study

Despite the fact that this study addressed the research hypothesis and achieved its goal, it was not without limitations. Because the study’s methodology was quantitative, chances to acquire and use qualitative data were overlooked. The study also has a significant limitation in that it is a descriptive survey. Survey research merely produces descriptive results;

establishing causality is challenging. As a result, a longitudinal study that examines the link over time between marital communication, marital conflict resolution, marital satisfaction, marital stability, and sexual relationships is necessary in the future. Another drawback of the current study is that data was gathered mostly from one sub-city of Addis Ababa and among urban married people. More studies on a broader range of samples inside Addis Ababa are required. The last but not least major drawback of the study, owing to its nature, is that respondents may not offer truthful responses to the questions they were given because this study deals with extremely sensitive and personal issues. As a result, the self-reported measures in the current study are subject to social desirability biases. This might have an impact on the research variables’ correlation.

Availability of data and material

The datasets used and/or analyzed in the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Authors’ contributions

ZG designed the study, collected the data, analyzed the data, interpreted the data, wrote the manuscript, and reviewed the manuscript. The author read and approved the final manuscript.

Consent for publication

This part is not applicable because the manuscript contains no person’s data in any form (including individual details, images, or videos).

Competing interests

The author declares that he has no competing interests.

Funding

No funds was received for this work.

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