Communication satisfaction, marital satisfaction and relationship maintenance in long distance marriages in Kyambogo University, Uganda

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between communication satisfaction, marital satisfaction and relationship maintenance in long distance marriages among Kyambogo University staff. The research design was a cross sectional survey and stratified simple random sampling was used to select the married female and male members of staff to include in the sample. Data was collected from 172 respondents using a self-administered questionnaire from a population of 295 members of staff in long distance marriages. The data was analyzed using SPSS 22 version, and subsequent analyses (correlation and regression) were conducted. The results revealed that there was a significant positive relationship between communication satisfaction and relationship maintenance among long distance married employees (r=.86, p≤ .01); a significant positive relationship between marital satisfaction and relationship maintenance among long distance married employees (r=.64, p≤ .01); a significant positive relationship between communication satisfaction and marital satisfaction among long distance married employees (r=.79, p ≤ .01). The results from regression analysis further revealed that of the two independent variables, only communication satisfaction (β=.95, p≤ .00) was found to have a significant effect on relationship maintenance. Further studies should be made to establish other factors that lead to relationship maintenance. The researcher recommends that further research should be done on marital satisfaction in long distance marriages.