Abstract:

The study aimed at predicting marital satisfaction through self-esteem and Sexual satisfaction in a Ghanaian orthodox church. The objectives were to determine the correlation between sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction, to ascertain the correlation between self-esteem and marital satisfaction, and to ascertain the gender difference in marital satisfaction. The descriptive survey research design was adopted. The target group was married couples. Simple random sampling was used to select one hundred and sixty married persons with tenure of marriage between two years and fifty years. Questionnaires on Larson’s sexual satisfaction and Rosenberg’s self-esteem was used for data collection. The cronbach reliability coefficient for the instrument was 0.68 and 0.72, respectively. Results indicate that there was a negative correlation between sexual satisfaction and marital satisfaction. There was a positive correlation between self-esteem and marital satisfaction. There was no statistically significant difference in gender and marital satisfaction. Based on the discussion of literature review, recommendations were made.

References:

[1] Lantz, N. & Snyder, V. (2009). The changing relationship of marital status to reported happiness. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50(2), 317.

[2] Shackelford, K. (2001). Marital satisfaction, parental agreement on child-rearing and parental perception of child’s adjustment. Unpublished Master’s thesis, Middle East Technical University.

[3] Gonzalez, L. & Viitanen, E. (2003). Convergent and discriminant validation by the multitrait-multimethod matrix’, Psychological Bulletin, 56, 81-104.

[4] Frost, B. & Dodoo, W. (2010). Ecological Analysis for Cross-cultural Psychology, in Neil Warren (ed) Studies in Cross-cultural Psychology. London: Academic Press Inc.

[5] United Nations [UN], (2006). Gender gap: The biology of male-female differences. London Transaction Publishers.

[6] Tilsen, B. & Larson, Q. (2018). Locus of control and marital satisfaction. The Journal of Psychology, 114, 275-279.

[7] Rubel, Q. (2004). Healthy family functioning: What family therapists, priests, and ministers say. International Journal of Family Therapy, 5(3), 190-202.

[8] Tayebi, D. (2011). Effective social support: Antecedents and consequences of partner support during pregnancy. Personal Relationships, 13(2), 207-229.

[9] Movahedi, V. & Azizi, Q. (2011). Enriching Marriages: The Foundation Stone of Family Strength. In N. Stinnett, B. Chesser, J. DeFrain & P. Knaub (Eds.), Family Strengths: Positive Models for Family Life. Lincoln and London: University of Nebraska Press.

[10] Takyi, K. & Oheneba-Sakyi, W. (2017). Coping with post-traumatic stress symptoms following relationship dissolution. Stress and Health,19, 27-36.

[11] Ahene, K. (2011). What does sexual orientation orient? A biobehavioral model distinguishing romantic love and sexual desire. Psychological Review, 110, 173-192.

[12] Abra, W. (2001). Truth and consequences: Using the bogus pipeline to examine sex differences in self-reported sexuality. The Journal of Sex Research, 40, 27-35.

[13] Adonu, P. (2005). Application of hierarchical linear models to assessing psychological change Bulletin, 101, 147-158.

[14] Yadalijamaloye, I. Z., Naseri, Q., Shoshtari, S., Khaledian, C. & Ahrami, (2013). Gender differences in the link between marital support and satisfaction in older couples. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 67(4), 688-698.

[15] Afolabi, L. (2014). Relationship satisfaction and sexual satisfaction: A longitudinal study of individuals in long-term relationships. The Journal of Sex Research, 42, 113-118.

[16] Rahmani, A., Khoei, E. M., & Gholi, L. A. (2009). Sexual satisfaction and its relation to marital happiness in Iranians. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 77-82.

[17] Trudel, G., Turgeon, L., & Piché, L. (2010). Marital and sexual aspects of old age. Sexual and Relationship Therapy, 25(3), 316-341.

[18] Fileborn, B., Thorpe, R., Hawkes, G., Minichiello, V., Pitts, M., & Dune, T. (2015). Sex, desire, and pleasure: Considering the experiences of older Australian women. Sexual and relationship therapy, 30(1), 117-130.

[19] Tavakol, Z., Nikbakht Nasrabadi, A., Behboodi Moghadam, Z., Salehiniya, H., & Rezaei, E. (2017). A review of the factors associated with marital satisfaction. Galen Medical Journal, 6(3).

[20] Shackelford, J., Goetz, H. & Buss, O. (2005). Psychological treatment of sexual problems. International Review of Psychiatry, 6, 163-174.

[21] Murray, E., Bellavia, Q., Feeney, S., Holmes, K. & Rose, P. (2014). It takes a village to save a marriage. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 31, 188-196.