Communication, Conflict Resolution and Financial Unity among Married Couples from Churches in Makadara Constituency, Kenya

A Thesis Submitted To The School Of Humanities And Social Sciences In Partial Fulfillment Of The Requirement For The Degree Of Master Of Arts In Counseling PsychologyWhereas marriage is associated with satisfaction and happiness, several factors are widely acknowledged as necessary for a happy marriage. According to research in Counseling Psychology, satisfactory communication, conflict resolution and financial unity are key determinants for happiness in marriage. For instance, some known causes of divorce are listed as financial problems and lack of communication. It is with this understanding that this study sought to find out how communication, conflict resolution and financial unity change across different durations of marriage, and discover if they improve with increase in marriage duration. The precise objectives were establishing the differences in communication styles, conflict resolution styles and financial unity depending on duration of marriage. This study was conducted using a mixed method research design, with the target population being married respondents from various churches in Makadara constituency. The sample churches were selected using stratified sampling, with 15 churches being selected from 140 churches. A sample of 390 respondents was chosen from the sample number of churches using simple random sampling, with 13 couples selected from each church, though there were some changes in the overall study. A questionnaire was developed as a tool for collecting data. The researcher analyzed data using SPSS which utilized frequency distribution tables, percentages, chi square, and an additional analysis, correlation. The research results showed that passive aggressive style and assertive style were significant to duration of marriage, with χ2 (16, N=401) =26.331, p=0.05 and χ2 (16, N=401) =28.034, p=0.031 respectively. Passive aggressive style was significant to duration of marriage, with (F (4, N=396) =2.558, p=0.038), and it tended to decrease as duration of marriage increased. The mean values of positive communication styles increased as duration of marriage increased. With conflict resolution, compromise style and collaborative style were significant to marriage, with χ2 (16, N=401) =34.436, p=0.005 and χ2 (16, N=399) =33.371, p=0.007 respectively. Compromise style was positively correlated with duration of marriage at p=0.018, as it tended to increase as duration of marriage increased. The mean values of positive conflict resolution styles increased as duration of marriage increased. With financial unity, awareness of one‟s spouse‟s accounts was significant to duration of marriage, with χ2 (16, N=401) =26.264, p=0.05. Preferring to save rather than purchase items was negatively correlated to duration of marriage at p