Marital Conflict among Couples: The Case of Durbete Town, Amhara Region of Ethiopia

ABSTRACT

This study explored the prevalence, causes, consequences and coping strategies of marital conflict in Durbete town. The study employed mixed approach with cross- sectional descriptive survey research design. A total of 390 people were participated: 386 (193 men and 193 women couples) as survey respondents and four interviewees. Survey respondents were selected through stratified and proportional random sampling technique. Four interviewees were purposely selected from elders, lawyers, and women and children’s affairs office. Data were collected using, questionnaire, interview and, document analysis. One sample t-test, independent sample t-test, weighted mean and rank order were used as data analysis techniques. Qualitative data were analyzed, thematically using quotation, paraphrasing and narration. The findings revealed that the prevalence of marital conflict is high and showed an increasing trend year to year. The major causes of marital conflict were psychological, gender related, sexual, socio cultural, economic. The five major consequences of marital conflict identified were suffering from stress, feeling of depression, feeling of grief, worry about what others say beyond the disturbance with their own spouses, and feeling of despair and hopelessness. In addition, when the couples disturb between themselves, their children's are become anxious, stress, irritability, sadness, distress and other psychological problems. Children absent in school, develop delinquency behavior, loss of control, isolation, low self-esteem and hopeless are the major consequences of marital conflict for children’s. There is not statistically significance different in perception towards the consequences of marital conflict between men and women couples. The frequently applied conflict coping strategies were competing, collaborating, compromising, avoiding, accommodation, and third party interference. Finally, it is concluded that marital conflict is one major social issue in the study area that needed the involvement of experts in social work, counseling and law to minimize the prevalence and effectively resolve the already happened conflicts. Therefore, Social workers should better to create awareness (capacity building) for the couples by showing the effects of marital conflict for couples themselves, children and on local community as the model.

Key Words: Marital Conflict, Prevalence, Causes, Consequences, Coping Strategies