Effect of finances on marital satisfaction and psychological health among married couple in south-south region of Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Finance in marriage is connected to everything else: communication, health, sex, and spirituality to mention but a few. The amount of income a couple earns either individually or collectively is very important and may affect their level of satisfaction either negatively or positively. Finance in marriage cannot be overemphasized, A popular saying in my area “na love I go chop,” meaning love alone is not enough and one cannot love on an empty stomach. The role money plays in marriage is important as it can be challenging to maintain peace in a family with money being a deciding factor. The objective of this study was to find out the effect of finance on marital and psychological health. Materials and Methods: The design was a hospital-based, cross-sectional study of 184 respondent. The questionnaires comprised: level of income, working in either a private or public sector, Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS) questionnaire and General Health Questionnaire 28(GHQ 28). Results: The association between psychological stability and monthly income was insignificant; p= 0.599. Over three-fifths of those earning less than 60,000 naira per month had marital satisfaction while just a third was not satisfied. Over half (53.8) of those earning over 165,000naria were unsatisfied with their marriage. The association between marital satisfaction and monthly income was not significant; p = 0.059.