Relationship Between Work-Related Stress And Marital Quality Among Couples In Selected Seventh-Day Adventist Churches In Kiambu County, Kenya.

ABSTRACT

Several studies have been carried out in the past focusing on the relationship

between work-related stress and marital quality. These studies have indicated

that some of the challenges that couples encounter in their marital

relationships have a link with work-related stress. Seventh-day Adventist

couples may not be exceptional cases on issues affecting other marriages.

However, committed Christian couples may assume that they are immune to

challenges that affect non-Christians and live in denial while in reality they

may be experiencing the same problems that other couples face in their

marriages. In spite of many studies that have been done to mitigate effects of

work-related stress on marital quality, there is still prevalence of this

phenomenon among SDA couples. This study sought to establish the

relationship between work-related stress and marital quality among couples in

selected S.D.A churches in Kiambu County in Kenya using Conservation of

Resource (COR) theory. The study objectives were: To establish the levels of

work-related stress; to establish the levels of marital quality and to find out the

relationship between work-related stress and marital quality among SDA

couples in Kiambu County. The study utilized correlational study design. The

target population was Seventh-day Adventist married couples in Kiambu

County which had 2413 married persons. Multi-stage sampling approach and

Yamane’s formula for sampling was used to come up with a total of 150

respondents for the study. Questionnaires were used to collect data while the

reliability of the instrument was established through test/retest as an internal

reliability procedure. Data analysis was done using descriptive method where

central measure of tendency involving frequency distribution, mode, median

and percentile was employed while Spearman rank correlation coefficient was

used to establish the relationship between work-related stress and marital

quality. The findings of the study revealed that 44.7% couples experienced

average work-related stress. The findings also revealed that a majority (73.3%)

were satisfied with their marriage while (7.3%) experienced marital

dissatisfaction. The results of the study also revealed that work-related stress

had a negative effect on marital quality. The study recommends the need for psychological interventions for couples in SDA churches in Kiambu County.