Relationship Between Age At Time Of Marriage And Marital Satisfaction Among Married Couples In Murang’a County, Kenya

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between age at time of marriage (ATM) and marital satisfaction (MS) among married couples in Murang’a County, Kenya. Owing to changes in established social set up, individuals have been separated from their extended family and community that provided the necessary support system, thus an increase in the number of people experiencing challenges in marriage. Individuals who are married experience emotional and psychological challenges that require counselling. The objectives of this study were: to investigate the relationship between age at time of marriage and subjective evaluation, examine the relationship between age at time of marriage and emotion regulation, determine the relationship between age at time of marriage and couple’s patterns of interaction. The study adopted cross-sectional survey and applied correlation design. The target population was the married individuals within the selected households in Murang’a County, Kenya. Stratified sampling was used and then proportionate sampling to select 399 householders from the total of 237,493 householders in Murang’a County, Kenya. Data was collected using two data collection instruments and analyzed using Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) and content analysis strategy. Descriptive statistics (frequency tables, percentages and cross tabulation) and inferential statistics (Pearson’s Correlation, t-test, and ANOVA) were used in data analysis. The study findings show that the relationships between age at time of marriage and subjective evaluation (r = .159, p<.05), and patterns of interaction (r = .118, p<.05) were positive and statistically significant. However, the relationship between age at time of marriage and emotion regulation (r = .070, p>.05) was not statistically significant. Based on the study findings the conclusion is that there is a relationship between age at time of marriage and marital satisfaction among married couples in Murang’a County,Kenya.