IMPORTANCE OF COMPATIBILITY ON MARITAL STABILITY AMONG HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN LAGOS STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

The marriage institution is sacred and has been the foundation of human society for a long time. The purpose of this study is to investigate the importance of compatibility on marital stability among health professionals. The study employed both descriptive and correlation survey designs. The total population of the study is 4167. The sample size of 996 were selected using random sampling and fish bowl techniques for the study. A self-structured questionnaire tagged: “Importance of Compatibility on Marital Stability among Health Professionals (ICMSAHP)” was the instrument used for data collection. The instrument was validated by two experts in Adult Education and Sociology from the University of Lagos. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the reliability of the instrument, yielding a reliability coefficient of 0.95. The findings revealed a significant, strong, and positive relationship between couples’ compatibility and marital stability among health professionals. It was recommended that courtship is germane in laying the solid foundation for marriage. Intending couples should adopt it to reduce divorce rates. A better understanding of each other can be achieved by couple through long courtship. Also, prospective spouses should have gainful and sustained employment both prior to matrimony and throughout the course of the marriage.