THE DYNAMICS OF MARITAL ABUSE AND SATISFACTION: SHAPING QUALITY OF LIFE AMONG MILITARY COUPLES IN YOBE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study is aimed at assessing levels and patterns of marital abuse and marital satisfaction among military couples. The study also assessed the impact of marital abuse, satisfaction on couples’ quality of life among military personnel in Yobe State. The research made use of survey design and systematic sampling techniques to recruit three hundred and six (306) respondents for the study. The study made use of Composite Abuse Scale, Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS by Walter W Hudson 1982) and Quality of Life Scale (QOLS by John Flanagan 1970) to collect data from Yusuf Ari army camp in the cites of Gashua, Nguru, Daptchi and Damaturu in Yobe state, Nigeria. Results showed that 56% of the respondents were not martially satisfied while 84% had wittiness marital abuse ranging from once to once a week. the result also indicated four patterns which are those who are martially abused and satisfied (52% n = 134), martially abused and unsatisfied (48%, n = 124), martially unabused and satisfied (0) and martially unabused and unsatisfied (100%, n= 48). The result also showed that there was a significant and negative impact of marital abuse on quality of life (t=-6.53, β=-0.54, P<.05). There was a significant positive impact of marital satisfaction on quality of life (t=6.54, β=0.44, P<.05) among couples. There was a significant statistical difference between the mean of nonabused (????=82.80, SD=21.80) and that of abused couples (????=75.30, SD=13.64) on their quality of life {t (258) = 4.79, P<.05}. There was a significant statistical difference between the mean of unsatisfied (????=76.00, SD=15.75) and that of satisfied (????=84.62, SD=24.31) couples on quality of life {t (258) = -03.14, P<.05}. The study concluded that marital abuse and marital satisfaction impact of quality of life among sampled couples. It asserted that increase in marital abuse would cause decrease in quality of life while increase in marital satisfaction is responsible for increase in quality of life among couples