Abstract

R. A. Animasahun* and E. A. Femi Fatile

This study investigates the patterns of marriage instability in modern African society, especially Lagos metropolis, and the implications on marriage counseling. Two hundred and fifty married men and women were selected in Lagos metropolis, using purposive and convenience sampling technique. Among the participants were: one hundred and eleven married men (44.4%) and one hundred and thirty nine married women (55.6%) respectively. The mean of the respondents’ age was 39.96, while the standard deviation was 8.44. The major instrument used was marriage instability scale (MIS) constructed and validated by the researchers with a coefficient alpha of .848. Five null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data collected were analyzed using ANOVA and t-test statistics in testing the hypotheses. The results obtained showed that; there was no significant difference in marriage instability between couples with polygamous family background and couples with monogamous family background. There was no significant difference in marriage instability among couples with different social status. There was no significant difference in marriage instability between couples with different religious background. There was no significant difference in marriage instability among couples with different careers. There was no significant difference in marriage instability among couples with different educational background. The findings of the research have various implications for couples in modern African society; there is need for them to visit a professional marriage therapist for marriage assessment. The findings of the study were discussed and suggestions were made for further studies.