Socio-Economic Factors Influencing Marital Instability in Yobe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Marital instability has been a significant issue in Yobe State, Nigeria, with high rates of divorce and separation with 10.8% (NBS, 2024). The main objective of this study is to examine the influence of socioeconomic factors (couples' economic status, spouse communication, couples parental background and couples in-law involvement) on marital instability in some selected local government areas of Yobe State, Nigeria. A survey research method was used. A total samples of 384 respondents (189 Males and 195 Females) between the ages of 18 to 54 years old were collected. The data collection exercise was done by the means of self-administered questionnaire and then analyzed with SPSS Software version 22. The findings revealed that, the independent variables; i.e. socioeconomic factors (couples economic status and spouse communication), explained 69.5% of variation for dependent variable (marital instability) and based on the standardized regression analysis, the couples economic status was the highest weight (β= 0.864) among other independent variables emerged as the strongest predictor of marital instability among the respondents. The results of present study can contributes to the body of knowledge and has remarkable implications for academicians and policy makers on how to enhance marriage stability in Yobe State and Nigeria at large. Finally, the findings also recommended that, financial literacy education of the couples should be improve, particularly young adults, which can help them manage their finances more effectively, reduce financial stress, and potentially improve marital stability.