This study evaluated the impact of Relationship Education Training on marital satisfaction among young dual-career couples at Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria. The research was guided by six objectives, addressed six research questions, and tested six hypotheses. The study population consisted of 370 individuals, specifically 185 dual-career couples from the university. From this group, 74 participants (37 couples) who exhibited low marital satisfaction were purposively selected.
The study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test approach. All 74 respondents participated in a five-week Relationship Education Training program. The ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMS; Fowlers & Olson, 1993) was adapted and modified to create the Marital Satisfaction Enrichment Questionnaire (MSEQ), which served as the data collection instrument. The MSEQ demonstrated high reliability, with a coefficient of 0.89.
To analyze the data, mean and standard deviation were used to answer the six research questions. Paired sample t-tests were applied to test the first five null hypotheses, while Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) was employed to test the sixth hypothesis, all at a significance level of 0.05.
The findings revealed that communication skills training significantly improved marital satisfaction [t(73, 0.05) = 4.469, p = 0.001, p<0.05], as did sexual relationship skills training [t(73, 0.05) = 1.651, p = 0.042, p<0.05] and financial management skills training [t(73, 0.05) = 4.480, p = 0.001, p<0.05]. However, conflict resolution skills training did not have a significant effect on marital satisfaction [t(73, 0.05) = 0.928, p = 0.375, p>0.05], and parenting skills training did not significantly affect couples' parenting [t(73, 0.05) = 2.365, p = 0.075, p>0.05]. Additionally, a significant difference was found among the various components of marital satisfaction [F(369, 4) = 52.77, p = 0.000, p<0.05], indicating that relationship education skills training effectively improved marital satisfaction among young dual-career couples.
Based on these findings, it was recommended that Ahmadu Bello University should consider establishing a relationship training unit within the University Counselling Centre. This unit would focus on training dual-career couples in skills that enhance their marital relationships and overall satisfaction.
