THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RELIGIOSITY AND MARITAL SATISFACTION AMONG COUPLES IN SOKOTO STATE, NORTHWESTERN NIGERIA
This research aims to determine the relationship between religiosity and marital satisfaction among couples in Sokoto State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 498 randomly selected participants (249 husband-wife dyads) residing in the four metropolitan Local Government Areas in Sokoto State, Northwestern Nigeria. Data were collected using a standardized structured interviewer-administered electronic questionnaire and were analyzed using the IBM SPSS version 23 computer statistical package. The ages of the 498 respondents ranged from 20 to 69 years, with a mean age of 39.7 ± 12.4 years. The majority of the 498 respondents had high levels of religious commitments (54.0%), religious practices (61.0%), and religiosity (55.6%). Most of the respondents (75.1%) were satisfied with their marriage. Although marital satisfaction was positively correlated with religiosity and its sub-scales (i.e., religious commitment and practices), it was solely predicted by having high levels of religious commitment (aOR = 2.132; 95%CI: 1.221 – 3.870; p = 0.046). These findings underscore the need for couples to leverage the mediating role of religiosity in facilitating marital satisfaction, thus enabling them to navigate the challenging terrains in their marital environment.
KEYWORDS: Religiosity, marital satisfaction, relationship, couples
