EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE AS A CORRELATE OF MARITAL SATISFACTION AMONG MARRIED PERSONS IN ANAMBRA STATE.

Abstract

The study examined emotional intelligence as a correlate of marital satisfaction among married persons in Anambra state. The study was guided by two research questions and two null hypotheses tested at 0.05 level of significance.  The study adopted correlational research design. The population of the study comprised 1,469916 married persons who were statutorily  married between 2021-2023 in Anambra state. Taro Yamane was used to draw the sample size of 520 respondents. Stratified random and purposive sampling techniques were employed to draw the sample. Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) and Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI) were used for data collection. The instruments were subjected to face validation by three experts. The reliability of the instruments was established using Cronbach Alpha. The computation yielded co-efficient values of 0.79 for EIS and 0.84 for MSI. The researcher administered the instruments to the respondents with the help of two research assistants.  Research questions were answered using Pearson Product Moment Correlation, while the hypotheses were tested using test of significance of Pearson. Findings of the study revealed a high positive relationship between emotional intelligence and marital satisfaction of married persons. . The results also showed a high positive relationship between emotional intelligence and marital satisfaction for male and a moderate positive relationship for female married persons.  Based on the findings, it was recommended  that marriage counsellors should organize seminars, conferences and workshops that promote the learning of emotional intelligence