Effect of Communication Skills acquired during Premarital Counseling on Marital Stability among Newly Married Couples in Kamukunji Sub-County, Nairobi County, Kenya

Abstract

In this age of urbanization, conflicts among newly married couples can crop up if they had not been well prepared for marriage through effective premarital counseling. The purpose1of this study was to assess the influence of communication1skills on marital1stability among newly married couples in the sub-county. The research was informed by the solution focused theory and the sound relationship house theory. The target population was 476 newly married couples in the sub-county and the 4 premarital counselors in the sub-county. The researcher targeted a population 480 respondents who were selected through census survey. The instruments used in the collection of data included a structured questionnaire for the newly married couples and face interviews for the marriage counselors. Pilot testing was done with 48 questionnaires given newly married couples of neighboring Starehe sub-county to ascertain the validity and1reliability of the1instruments. The study used a test-retest reliability method to test for reliability where a thresh hold of Cronbach's alpha coefficient of at least 0.7 was acceptable. The dependability and credibility were ascertained by ensuring that the data is collected from a population of respondents who are knowledgeable about premarital counseling. Qualitative data was analyzed using content analysis where certain words, concepts and themes were identified. The quantitative data was analyzed using descriptive1statistics and inferential1statistics including1correlation analysis and were presented using tables. The study found that communication skills have a positive and significant effects on marital stability among newly married couples in Kamukunji1sub-county, Nairobi1County. Premarital counselling enables partners to communicate honestly with their spouses.