Marital Stability and Individual Participation in the Christian Faith - Research Paper Example

Abstract The current study aimed to ascertain if there are significant relationships between marital stability and marital satisfaction on the one hand, and individual and shared participation on religious activities on the other. Using a random sample of 68 respondents, the outcomes show that marital stability is significantly influenced by shared participation in the Christian faith. That is, as the number of years of marriage increases, there are also is an increased probability of shared participation in religion. However, the results also qualify that shared religious participation may not necessarily translate to marital satisfaction. The current study showed that shared participation is significantly correlated to marital stability in terms of the number of years of marriage, but not to marital satisfaction. The attendance to religious activities may help marriages to become more functional by influencing their capacity to solve conflicts effectually. Results and Discussion The current study tested the following hypotheses: Ho1: There is no significant correlation between marital stability and individual participation in the Christian faith. Ho2: There is no significant correlation between marital stability and shared participation in the Christian faith. Ho3: There is no significant correlation between marital stability and religiosity. Ho4: There is no significant correlation between marital quality and individual participation in the Christian faith. Ho5: There is no significant correlation between marital quality and shared participation in the Christian faith. Ho6: There is no significant correlation between marital quality and religiosity. Marital stability is measured by two items in the demographics portion of the survey, inquiring about the number of times married; and 2) the number of marriages. On the other hand, marital quality is to be measured by the score in the Marital Satisfaction Scale. These two represent the dependent variables of the study. On the other hand, there are three independent variables, namely individual participation, shared participation, and religiosity. Individual participation and shared participation, both had dichotomous, yes-no response options. Religiosity has been measured through the Inventory of Religious Belief. Demographics In terms of gender, 58.82% of the 68 respondents are female, while the remaining 41.18% are male. The average age for females is 42.05 years, while that for males is 49.12 years. Overall, the average age of respondents is 44.78 years. The mean number of years married is 18.95 years. Moreover, the average number of marriages is 1.18 times. Average age at current marriage is 25.06 years. The frequency breakdwon by religious affiliation is as follows: Christian 22; Lutheran 7; Presbyterian 4; Methodist 4; Baptist 4; Protestant 3; Catholic 3; Christian non-denominational 3; Nazarene 2; Evangelical non-denominational 1; Evangelical 1; Evangelical Christian 1; Evangelical Free 1; German Baptist 1; and Jewish Conservative 1. 10 respondents did not indicate their religious affiliation. 76% of the 42 respondents who answered the questions on religious participation say that they regularly go to church as individuals; while 24% do not. 57% go with their spouses in attending religious activities, while 43% do not. Correlations Marital Stability The results suggest that there is no significant correlation between individual participation in the Christian faith and number of years married (r=.14, p>.05). Moreover, there is no such correlation between individual participation and the other measure of marital stability, which is the number of times married (r=.155, p>.05). Shared participation in the Christian faith and number of years married did garner a significant relationship (r=.355, p.05). Religiosity and individual participation also did not exhibit any significant correlation (r=-.14, p>.05), as with religiosity and shared participation (r=.05, p>.05). These results suggest that of the first three null hypotheses that were tested, only Ho1 and Ho3 are both accepted. The second hypothesis, stating that there is no significant correlation between marital stability and shared participation in the Christian faith is rejected, since there is a significant correlation yielded for the number of years married and shared participation. This suggests that couples who have been married for a longer period of time also tend to have shared participation in the Christian faith. Moreover, the results also indicate that individual participation in such activities do not influence marital stability. The latter is also not affected by individual religiosity. Marital Quality On marital quality, it has been revealed that individual participation in the Christian faith has not yielded any significant correlation with marital satisfaction (r=.07, p>.05). Moreover, shared participation also has not garnered any significant relationship with marital satisfaction (r=.04, p>.05). Finally, there are no significant correlation results between religiosity and marital satisfaction (r=-.04, p>.05). Thus, null hypotheses 4 to 6 are all accepted. Discussion The results of the current study suggest that marital stability is influenced by shared participation in the Christian faith. In particular, it has been illustrated that as the number of years of marriage increases, there also tends to be a corresponding increase in shared participation in the Christian faith. This supports the assertion that couples who share the same characteristics, religiosity in this case as shown in participation in the Christian faith, exhibit "assortative mating" since they both are likely to attend Christian activities (Watson, 2004). These couples tend to withstand the test of time in their marriage, since, as Watson (2004) asserts, they are more likely to form stronger emotional ties due to their similarities. Moreover, it has also been shown through the results that individual participation in the Christian faith does not influence marital stability, and neither does religiosity. Again, this reinforces the assertions of Watson (2004) and Gattis (2004) who have both noted the importance of similarities in marital relationships. The outcomes of this study are also supportive of those of Gaunt (2006), who says that values, attitudes and religious perspectives played a large role in shaping marital satisfaction. In the context of the present study, marital stability may be due in large part totheir sharing of these commonalities. The results of marital satisfaction are inconsistent with those found in the literature. The outcomes of the current study indicate that there is no significant relationship between marital satisfaction and any of the other independent variables that have been correlated with it, namely, individual participation, shared participation, and religiosity. The logical explanation, in lieu of the foregoing results on marital stability, is the influence of shared religious participation in conflict resolution. While the marriage in itself is not fully satisfying, marital functioning is influenced by prayer, which can effectually cultivate unity and reduce conflict (Reinke, 2005; Lambert and Dollahite, 2006). This power of shared participation in religious activities makes more probable the idea of prayer, unity, and success in conflict resolution, which ultimately translate into longer marriages. However, as shown by the second set of correlations on marital quality, even shared participation in the Chrisitian faith, by itself, is not significantly correlated with marital satisfaction. The latter, may be a complex construct determined by other variables apart from shared religious participation. Moreover, it has been shown that individual religiosity and participation are also not significantly correlated with marital quality. The results of the present study seem to be partly in support only of the assertions of Scanzoni (1965) who suggests that marital satisfaction occurs when conflicts are resolved satisfactorily, thereby resulting to marital organization. While shared religious participation is a correlate of marital stability in the current study, it is not a significant correlate of marital satisfaction. Moreover, the outcomes of the study are not consistent with those of Orathinkal and Vansteenwegen (2006) who have shown that religiosity is a component of marital stability; individual religiosity in the present study is not correlated with marital stability. However, shared participation has shown a significant correlation. Orathinkal and Vansteenwegen's (2006) other finding that religiosity is linked to marital satisfaction is also not supported in the findings of the current study. The results show that joint participation, the similarity in choice of church and in weekly attendance, is an indicator of martial stability, but not of marital satisfaction. The results also suggest that shared participation is not significantly correlated with individual religiosity. This is explained by the fact that religiosity, according to Brimhall and Butler (2007) are futher categorized into extrinsic and intrinsic religiosity. Therefore, religiosity may involve only external attendance to religious activities, but may not necessarily translate into anything that will promote marital satisfaction. The results of the current study are consistent with the results of Brimhall and Butler (2007) who found that religious participation is an in motivating others to maintain their marriages, only in so far as length of the marriage is concerned, but not necessarily to the degree to which the spouses are satisfied with their marriages. Conclusion The present study shows that marital stability is significantly influenced by shared participation in the Christian faith. That is, as the number of years of marriage increases, there are also is an increased probability of shared participation in religion. However, the results also qualify that shared religious participation may not necessarily translate to marital satisfaction. The current study showed that shared participation is significantly correlated to marital stability in terms of the number of years of marriage, but not to marital satisfaction. The attendance to religious activities may help marriages to become more functional by influencing their capacity to solve conflicts effectually. Recommendations The present research's outcomes may further be validated through by enlisting more respondents in future studies to strengthen the power of the statistical tests used, and thus make the results more valid and generalizable. Other variables may also be investigated, that may possibly affect the relationship among marital stability, marital satisfaction, and religiosity. Moreover, there is also a need to validate the results across cultural contexts; it is possible that cultures where religion is stronger may manifest significant correlations on marital stability and satisfaction, as compared to cultures where it is not a core value. Appendix A MARITAL SATISFACTION QUESTIONNAIRE FOR OLDER PERSONS (MSQFOP) S. N. Haynes, F. J. Floyd, C. Lemsky, G. E. Rogers Instructions: Please answer the following questions as carefully as possible. You may choose not to answer specific questions, but you are encouraged to answer as many as possible. Please indicate your current level of satisfaction or dissatisfaction for each of the items listed below. Use the following scale: 1 - Very Dissatisfied 2 - Somewhat Satisfied 3 – Somewhat dissatisfied 4 – Somewhat satisfied 5 - Satisfied 6 – Very satisfied 1. The amount of time my spouse and 1 spend in shared recreational activities: 1 2 3 4 5 6 2. The degree to which my spouse and I share common interests: 1 2 3 4 5 6 3. The day-to-day support and encouragement provided by my spouse: 1 2 3 4 5 6 4. My spouse's physical health: 1 2 3 4 5 6 5. The degree to which my spouse motivates me: 1 2 3 4 5 6 6. My spouse's overall personality: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7. The amount of consideration shown by my spouse: 1 2 3 4 5 6 8. The manner in which affection is expressed between my spouse and me: 1 2 3 4 5 6 9. How my spouse reacts when I share feelings: 1 2 3 4 5 6 10. The way disagreements are settled: 1 2 3 4 5 6 11. The number of disagreements between my spouse and me: 1 2 3 4 5 6 12. My spouse's philosophy of life: 1 2 3 4 5 6 13. My spouse's values: 1 2 3 4 5 6 14. My spouse's emotional health: 1 2 3 4 5 6 15. The frequency of sexual or other physically intimate relations with my spouse: 1 2 3 4 5 6 16. The quality of sexual or other physically intimate relations with my spouse: 1 2 3 4 5 6 17. The frequency with which my spouse and I have pleasant conversations: 1 2 3 4 5 6 18. My overall compatibility with my spouse: 1 2 3 4 5 6 19. How decisions are made in my marriage: 1 2 3 4 5 6 20. How well my spouse listens to me: 1 2 3 4 5 6 21. Of all the attention you receive from your spouse, what percentage is pleasant or positive? 22. Overall, how satisfied are you with your marriage right now? 1 2 3 4 5 6 23. In the past year, how often have you had significant problems in your marriage? 1 2 3 4 Very often Often Seldom Never 24. Compared with 5 years ago, how satisfied are you with your marriage? 0 1 2 3 4 5 Not Much Less Equally More Much more relevant less satisfied satisfied satisfied satisfied satisfied Appendix B – Religious Belief Survey Please answer the following questions as carefully as possible: 1. It makes no difference whether one is a Christian or not as long as one has good will for others: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 2. I believe the Bible is the inspire Word of God: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 3. God created man separate and distinct from animals: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 4. The idea of God is unnecessary in our enlightened age: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 5. There is no life after death: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 6. I believe Jesus was born of a virgin: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 7. God exist as: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 8. The Bible is full of errors, misconceptions and contradictions: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 9. The gospel of Christ is the only way for mankind to be saved: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 10. I think there have been many men in history just as great as Jesus: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 11. I believe there is a heaven and a hell: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 12. Eternal life is the gift of God only to those who believe in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 13. I think a person can be happy and enjoy life without believing in God: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 14. In many ways the Bible has held back and retarded human progress: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree 15. I believe in the personal, visible return of Christ to the earth: 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly agree Agree Are not sure Disagree Strongly disagree Appendix C – SPSS Computations Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Rel 68 15.00 59.00 28.5588 13.26918 Valid N (listwise) 68 Rel – Religiosity Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation MS 68 24.00 138.00 110.5441 23.38544 Valid N (listwise) 68 MS – Marital Satisfaction Gender Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1.00 40 58.8 58.8 58.8 2.00 28 41.2 41.2 100.0 Total 68 100.0 100.0 Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation Age 67 21.00 82.00 44.7761 14.69985 Valid N (listwise) 67 Descriptive Statistics N Minimum Maximum Mean Std. Deviation YM 68 1.00 53.00 18.9485 14.42017 NM 68 1.00 4.00 1.1765 .51662 ACM 67 17.00 60.00 25.0597 8.44928 Valid N (listwise) 67 YM – Number of Years Married NM – Number of Times Married ACM – Age during Current Marriage Attend Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1.00 10 14.7 23.8 23.8 2.00 32 47.1 76.2 100.0 Total 42 61.8 100.0 Missing System 26 38.2 Total 68 100.0 Attspouse Frequency Percent Valid Percent Cumulative Percent Valid 1.00 18 26.5 42.9 42.9 2.00 24 35.3 57.1 100.0 Total 42 61.8 100.0 Missing System 26 38.2 Total 68 100.0 Att – Attend religious activities regularly / Individual participation Attspouse – Attend with spouse / Shared participation Correlations Number of Years Married YM Attend Pearson Correlation .142 Sig. (2-tailed) .369 N 42 Attspouse Pearson Correlation .355(*) Sig. (2-tailed) .021 N 42 Rel Pearson Correlation -.139 Sig. (2-tailed) .258 N 68 * Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed). ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Number of Times Married Correlations NM Attend Pearson Correlation .155 Sig. (2-tailed) .327 N 42 Attspouse Pearson Correlation .147 Sig. (2-tailed) .354 N 42 Rel Pearson Correlation .049 Sig. (2-tailed) .694 N 68 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Marital Satisfaction Correlations MS Attend Pearson Correlation .066 Sig. (2-tailed) .676 N 42 Attspouse Pearson Correlation .040 Sig. (2-tailed) .800 N 42 Rel Pearson Correlation -.038 Sig. (2-tailed) .758 N 68 ** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Read More