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Childlessness and Ma i al Dissa is ac ion Among
Ma ied Teache s in Del a S a e
Ehikwe, F. O.
Depa men o Guidance and Counselling, Del a S a e Uni e si y Ab aka, Nige ia
[email p o ec ed]
P o (M s) A. Onoyase
Depa men o Guidance and Counselling, Del a S a e Uni e si y Ab aka, Nige ia
[email p o ec ed]
Assoc. P o (M s) E. O. Egbule
Depa men o Guidance and Counselling, Del a S a e Uni e si y Ab aka, Nige ia
[email protected]
Abs ac
This s udy in es iga ed childlessness as a ac o causing ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied
eache s in Del a S a e. One esea ch ques ion and wo hypo heses guided he s udy. The
co ela ional esea ch design was employed in he s udy. The popula ion o he s udy
comp ised 8,526 ma ied eache s in Del a S a e. A sample size o 879 ma ied eache s we e
d awn h ough a mul is age sampling me hod. The ins umen used o da a collec ion was a
ques ionnai e. The ins umen was assessed o ace, con en and cons uc alidi y by expe s
and ac o analysis, while C onbach alpha eliabili y coe icien was used o check o he
eliabili y o he i ems, and i yielded a coe icien o 0.81 o Ma i al dissa is ac ion Ra ing
Scale. The da a we e analysed using Pea son’s P oduc Momen Co ela ion coe icien o
de e mina ion, eg ession s a is ics s a is ics. The hypo heses we e es ed a 0.05 le el o
signi icance. The indings o he s udy e ealed ha he e is a signi ican ela ionship be ween
childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s; bu ha he e is no signi ican
mode a ing impac o du a ion o ma iage on he ela ionship be ween childlessness and
ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e. The s udy ecommended
amongs o he s, ha counsello s should p o ide guidance on coping s a egies o couples
acing childlessness, including emo ional suppo and al e na i e amily-building op ions.
Keywo ds: Childlessness; Du a ion o Ma iage; Ma i al Dissa is ac ion; Ma ied Teache s.
In e na ional Jou nal o Resea ch (IJR)
e-ISSN: 2348-6848
p-ISSN: 2348-795X
Vol. 12 Issue 11
No embe 2025
Recei ed: 1 Oc obe 2025 359
Re ised: 11 No embe 2025
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Copy igh au ho s 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17700352
In oduc ion
Ma iage is one o he oldes social ins i u ions known o humani y. Ac oss ci iliza ions
and adi ions, he ela ionship be ween a man and a woman is uni e sally acknowledged as
he ounda ion o amily li e and socie al con inui y. In mos cul u es and eligions, adul hood
is conside ed incomple e wi hou ma iage, as i p o ides he p ima y amewo k o
companionship, p oc ea ion, and child upb inging. Bo h Biblical and Islamic eachings ace
he o igin o ma iage o he c ea ion o he i s humans in he Ga den o Eden (Oka o &
Nnadi, 2020).
Despi e he impo ance a ached o ma iage, achie ing sa is ac ion wi hin i emains a
complex p ocess. Resea ch e idence sugges s ha many ma iages expe ience ension and
ins abili y, which o en lead o dissa is ac ion (Adeni an & Ola unji, 2022). Ma i al
dissa is ac ion e e s o a subjec i e expe ience in which spouses eel un ul illed because hei
emo ional, social, o physical needs and expec a ions a e unme . This dissa is ac ion can c ea e
emo ional dis ess, poo men al heal h, and beha iou al p oblems among couples. I can also
esul in wo kplace dis ac ion, ma i al b eakdown, and e en con ibu e o an i-social
endencies among child en and i esponsible beha iou s in adul s (Eze & Mbah, 2021).
The consequences o ma i al dissa is ac ion ex end beyond indi idual couples,
a ec ing he b oade s abili y o socie y, as he amily is ega ded as he nucleus o e e y
na ion. Pe sis en dissa is ac ion can lead o physical and psychological heal h challenges
among spouses, as well as nega i ely in luence child en’s academic pe o mance, social skills,
and emo ional de elopmen (Egbule, e al., 2022; Olawale & Ayeni, 2023). Fu he mo e, i has
been es ablished ha women’s wellbeing and li e sa is ac ion a e o en mo e ad e sely a ec ed
by ma i al p oblems due o cul u al and gende expec a ions (Onah, 2021). Va ious s udies
(A olabi, 2022; Eze & Mbah, 2021; Onah, 2021) ha e explo ed ma i al dissa is ac ion om
he pe spec i e o how indi iduals pe cei e and espond o speci ic elemen s o ma i al li e.
Iden i ying he causes o ma i al dissa is ac ion emains a i al esea ch conce n.
E idence om con empo a y s udies indica es ha i is in luenced by mul iple ac o s such as
educa ional a ainmen , leng h o ma iage, numbe o child en, economic s a us, lo e,
emo ional commi men , sexual compa ibili y, communica ion, and ela ionships wi h in-laws
(Olawale & Ayeni, 2023). O he a iables, such as gende , age, eligious belie s, and con lic
esolu ion s a egies, also play signi ican oles (Adeni an & Ola unji, 2022). While p e ious
esea ch has add essed some o hese a iables, he e is s ill a need o u he in es iga e
speci ic con ibu o s. The e o e, his s udy aims o explo e how childlessness may con ibu e
o ma i al dissa is ac ion, pa icula ly among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e.
Childlessness may sound like a peculia condi ion bu in eali y, his is common, jus
ha i ep esen s i sel in di e en ways and is also pe cei ed in se e al ways. Childlessness
may be a esul o delaying ep oduc ion, medical p oblems, o pe sonal choice. Some women
end o delay hei ma iage e en du ing he ea ly cen u ies as hey p io i ize hei ca ee s, hus
hei biological clock uns ou and o en hey a e le , unable o bea child en. Some end o
choose o emain childless, al hough his is no commonly and openly discussed because ha ing
child en is seen as an in eg al pa o ha ing a amily (Ch as il, 2019).
In olun a y childlessness is a li e condi ion mos equen ly caused by in e ili y- he
biological e m o inabili y o bea child en. 10% o women in he Uni ed S a es om age 15
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o 44 a e unable o ha e child en due o his condi ion (Espinol, 2021). E en wi h his numbe
i is s ill wo h no ing ha men also expe ience in e ili y. Fo men, low spe m coun , spe ms’
inabili y o mo e, and spe ms’ shape a e he leading ac o s o in e ili y. In women, absence
o o ula ion o inabili y o p oduce ma u e egg cells is he p ima y eason o in e ili y. In bo h
cases, physical p oblems wi h he ep oduc i e sys em, such as cys s in he o a ies o blocked
ubes also esul in in e ili y.
Childlessness may be s ess ul bu i can also make o close mu ual a ini y in he
couple’s hough and eeling. The expe ience can s ess a couple’s pe sonal ela ionship,
diminish sexual sa is ac ion, deple e inancial esou ces, and h ea en pe cep ion o masculini y
and emini y and cause psychological s ess. P oblems wi h psychological dis ess o ma ied
couples wi hou child en also a ec o he ac o s in hei li es including hei ma i al
dissa is ac ion.
Apa om he in luence o childlessness, he esea che is also in e es ed in he
mode a ing impac o du a ion o ma iage on ma i al dissa is ac ion. The du a ion o ma iage
e e s o he pe iod o ime wi h espec o days, weeks, mon hs and yea s o ma i al
exis ence/ ela ionship among couples o en calcula ed in yea s. The pe iod ha pa ne s ha e
spen oge he has been shown o associa e wi h ma i al dissa is ac ion. The in luence o
ma iage du a ion on ma i al dissa is ac ion is nega i e (i dec eases wi h a ela ionship leng h)
o U-shaped (i dec eases in he beginning and inc eases a e some ime) (Ka ney & B adbu y,
2023). The du a ion o ma iage may mode a e he in luence o childlessness on ma i al
dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s by impac ing he couple's emo ional esilience,
communica ion pa e ns, and adap abili y o s esso s. Long- e m couples may ha e a mo e
p o ound sense o sha ed his o y and commi men , p o iding a shield agains dissa is ac ion
when acing childlessness, as hey migh ha e al eady explo ed and accep ed al e na i e
sou ces o ul ilmen (B ews e & Tillman, 2020). In con as , couples in sho e ma iages may
expe ience mo e acu e dissa is ac ion om hese issues, as hey a e s ill in he p ocess o
solidi ying hei ela ionship dynamics and may lack he de eloped coping mechanisms o hei
longe -ma ied coun e pa s (Id is e al., 2023). The e o e, he du a ion o ma iage may play
a c i ical ole in mode a ing how his s esso a ec ma i al dissa is ac ion, wi h longe
ma iages gene ally exhibi ing g ea e esilience. In iew o his, he ocus o his s udy is o
examine he ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied
eache s in Del a S a e.
1.3 Resea ch Ques ions
The ollowing esea ch ques ion guided he s udy:
1. Wha is he ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion
among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e?
Hypo hesis
The ollowing null hypo heses we e o mula ed and es ed a 0.05 alpha le el:
1. The e is no signi ican ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al
dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e
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2. The e is no signi ican mode a ing impac o du a ion o ma iage in he
ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied
eache s in Del a S a e
Me hods
The s udy adop ed he co ela ional esea ch design. The popula ion o he s udy
comp ised all ma ied eache s in Del a S a e. The e a e 8,526 ma ied eache s in Del a S a e.
A mul i-s age sampling p ocedu e was used o pick ou a sample o 879 ma ied eache s om
he popula ion s a ed abo e. The choice o 879 ma ied eache s as a sample size was based on
he ecommenda ion o Gill, e al. (2010) ha a sample size o 879 is sui able o a popula ion
o be ween 5,000 and 9,999 a a 97% con idence le el. The sample was selec ed om he h ee
sena o ial dis ic s in Del a S a e. In he ini ial phase, he esea che chose wo schools om
each o he 25 Local Go e nmen A eas spanning he h ee sena o ial dis ic s o Del a S a e.
This selec ion p ocess employed a simple andom sampling echnique. The esea che jo ed
down he school names on pieces o pape and place hem in a con aine . A e wa d, wo pieces
we e d awn and un eiled, and his p ocedu e was epea ed un il wo schools om each o he
25 Local Go e nmen A eas in Del a S a e ha e been iden i ied. Mo ing on o he second
phase, he esea che hen p oceeded o selec eache s om he wo chosen schools wi hin
each Local Go e nmen A ea. This selec ion p ocess ollowed he p inciples o p opo iona e
s a i ied sampling echnique. Speci ically, he esea che chose 10% o he ma ied eache s
in each local go e nmen a ea, based on a sample size o 879 as ecommended by Gill e al.
(2010). The a ionale behind op ing o he p opo iona e s a i ied sampling echnique lies in
he ac ha he local go e nmen a eas possess a ying numbe s o ma ied eache s. Thus, o
ensu e a ep esen a i e sample o ma ied eache s om each o he selec ed schools, he
p opo iona e s a i ied sampling echnique was employed.
The esea ch ins umen ha was u ilized o da a collec ion was a ques ionnai e. The
ques ionnai e con ains wo sec ions. Sec ion A p o ides in o ma ion on gende , educa ional
le el, du a ion o ma iage and p esence/absence o child en. Sec ion B measu es ma i al
dissa is ac ion. The Ma i al Dissa is ac ion Ra ing Scale is a 33-i em sel - epo measu e o an
indi idual’s subjec i e expe ience o ma iage. I was adap ed om he Ma i al Disha mony
and Disa ec ion Scale, de eloped by Snyde and Reg s (1982). The esponse o ma is based
on a modi ied Like - ype scale, wi h esponses anging om “S ongly Ag ee” (4) o “S ongly
Disag ee” (1). Highe sco es e lec a g ea e amoun o ma i al dissa is ac ion. The ace
alidi y o he ins umen was es ima ed by he expe s in he Depa men o Guidance and
Counselling. A copy o he ins umen was p in ed and handed o he lec u e s who wen
h ough i and made sugges ions in e ms o wo ding and sen ence s uc u e in o de o he
i ems o be aligned wi h he objec i es o he s udy. The sui abili y o he ins umen o he
objec i es o he s udy was he e o e es ima ed by expe s’ judgemen . The ques ionnai e was
pilo - es ed on 100 ma ied eache s in Edo S a e ou side he a ea o s udy. The con en and
cons uc alidi ies o he ins umen we e es ima ed using Fac o Analysis. The p incipal
componen analysis o he ex ac ion me hod was used o es ima e he con en alidi y o he
ins umen . I yielded a o al cumula i e a iance o 57.97% o he Ma i al dissa is ac ion
Ra ing Scale. The o a ed ac o loading o he a imax me hod was used o es ima e i s
cons uc alidi y. I yielded he ollowing ange o alues o 0.51-0.81 o Ma i al
dissa is ac ion Ra ing Scale. The C onbach alpha was adop ed o es ablish he in e nal
consis ency o he ins umen . This yielded a coe icien o 0.81 o Ma i al dissa is ac ion
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Ra ing Scale. These igu es indica es ha he ins umen is bo h alid and eliable (Jessa, e al.,
2023).
The esea ch ins umen was adminis e ed o pa icipan s by he esea che s and h ee
ained esea ch assis an s. I was gi en o he ma ied eache s o espond o in hei o ices.
This was done a e explaining pu pose o isi and ob aining pe mission om he p incipal o
he schools and in o med consen om he eache s. On he spo collec ion was done o a oid
loss o da a. A he end o he exe cise, a o al o 879 copies o ques ionnai e we e adminis e ed
and a o al o 879 we e e u ned, indica ing 100% e ie al a e. The da a collec ed we e
analysed using Pea son Momen Co ela ion and eg ession s a is ics. The coe icien o
de e mina ion was used o answe he esea ch ques ion while eg ession s a is ics was used o
es he hypo heses a 0.05 le el o signi icance.
Resul s
Resea ch Ques ion 1: Wha is he ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al
dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e?
Table 1: Pea son’s co ela ion coe icien and coe icien o de e mina ion on
childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e
Va iable
N
2
2%
Decision
Childlessness
879
0.13
0.02
2
Posi i e Rela ionship
Ma i al Dissa is ac ion
Table 1 indica es he - alue o 0.13 as he ela ionship be ween childlessness and
ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e. The coe icien o de e mina ion
( 2) was 0.02 and he amoun o con ibu ion o childlessness o ma i al dissa is ac ion was 2%.
This shows a low posi i e ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion.
Hypo hesis 1: The e is no signi ican ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al
dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e
Table 2: Reg ession analysis o childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied
eache s in Del a S a e
Model
Sum o Squa e
d
Mean Squa e
F
p
Reg ession
2122.972
1
2122.972
14.556
.000b
Residual
127904.955
877
145.844
To al
130027.927
878
Va iables in Equa ion
Model
Uns anda dized
Coe icien
S anda dised
Coe icien
P
B
S d.
E o
Be a
Cons an
93.411
1.224
-.128
76.340
.000
Childlessness
-3.362
.881
-3.815
.000
α = 0.05, R = 0.128, R-Squa e = 0.016
a. Dependen Va iable: Ma i al Dissa is ac ion
b. P edic o s (Cons an ): Childlessness
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The esul in Table 2 shows he eg ession ou pu o a ela ionship be ween
childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e, wi h an F- alue
o 14.556 and a p- alue o 0.000. Tes ing he hypo hesis a an alpha le el o 0.05, he p- alue
o 0.000 was less han he alpha le el o 0.05, hence, he null hypo hesis was ejec ed. This
e ealed ha he e is a signi ican ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion
among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e. The uns anda dized eg ession coe icien (B) o
p edic ing ma i al dissa is ac ion om childlessness is -0.128. The s anda dized coe icien (β)
is -3.362, = -3.815. Hence, childlessness was signi ican a an alpha le el o 0.05.
Hypo hesis 2: The e is no signi ican mode a ing impac o du a ion o ma iage in he
ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a
S a e
Table 3: Mul iple eg ession analysis on he mode a ing impac o du a ion o ma iage
in he ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied
eache s in Del a S a e
Model
B
S d E o
Be a
Sig.
(Cons an )
30.737
3.447
8.916
.000
Childlessness
-1.274
.649
-.048
-1.962
.050
Du a ion o Ma iage
.568
.597
.023
.952
.341
Table 3 displays he ou comes o examining mode a ing impac o du a ion o ma iage
in he ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in
Del a S a e. The be a weigh o -0.048 wi h a - alue o -1.962 pe ains o childlessness, while
he be a weigh o 0.023, wi h a - alue o 0.952, pe ains o du a ion o ma iage, signi ying
he ex en o ela ionship be ween each a iable (childlessness and du a ion o ma iage) wi h
ma i al dissa is ac ion. The esul s indica e ha childlessness is s a is ically signi ican a a
signi ican le el o 0.05, whe eas du a ion o ma iage is no s a is ically signi ican .
Consequen ly, he null hypo hesis was accep ed, sugges ing ha he e is no signi ican
mode a ing impac o du a ion o ma iage in he ela ionship be ween childlessness and
ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e.
Discussions
The i s inding e ealed ha he e is a signi ican ela ionship be ween childlessness
and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e. This inding sugges s ha
he inabili y o concei e and aise child en has a p o ound emo ional and social impac on
ma iages. In many cul u al se ings, pa icula ly in Nige ia, child en a e o en seen as a symbol
o ma i al success and a sou ce o social and economic secu i y. The absence o child en in a
ma iage can lead o eelings o incomple eness, s igma, and ex e nal p essu es om ex ended
amily and socie y. The inding also sugges s ha childlessness may exace ba e ma i al ension,
esul ing in emo ional s ain, communica ion b eakdown, and eelings o inadequacy among
spouses. Socie al no ms o en place a highe bu den on women in cases o childlessness, which
can c ea e eelings o guil , blame, and isola ion, u he e oding ma i al sa is ac ion. Fo men,
he inabili y o ha e child en may challenge hei male iden i y and igge eelings o
us a ion, pa icula ly when amilial and socie al expec a ions a e no ul illed. A majo eason
o he abo e inding could be he emphasis on p oc ea ion in many cul u es, whe e he success
o a ma iage is hea ily ied o he couple's abili y o ha e child en. Addi ionally, childlessness
can esul in inancial s ess due o he cos s associa ed wi h e ili y ea men s o al e na i e
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op ions such as adop ion. Ano he ac o is he lack o mu ual unde s anding and coping
s a egies, which can in ensi y he emo ional and psychological oll on he couple. The inding
is consis en wi h Li e al. (2019), who ound ha childlessness can lead o emo ional dis ess,
wi h socie al p essu es disp opo iona ely a ec ing women. The inding also ag ees wi h
Yeshua-Ka z (2018), whose s udy e ealed ha in cul u es whe e mo he hood is closely ied o
a woman's iden i y, childlessness is associa ed wi h dec eased ma i al sa is ac ion and
psychological well-being. The inding u he ag ees wi h he inding o Buh and Huinink
(2017), which showed ha childlessness o en exace ba es eelings o isola ion, exclusion, and
s ained spousal ela ionships. This dynamic can con ibu e o ma i al dissa is ac ion,
especially in socie ies whe e amily s uc u es p io i ize pa en hood.
The eigh h inding e ealed ha he e is no signi ican mode a ing impac o du a ion
o ma iage in he ela ionship be ween childlessness and ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied
eache s in Del a S a e. This inding sugges s ha hese ac o s a e pe asi e ac oss di e en
s ages o ma iage. This implies ha he challenges o childlessness may a ec ma i al
sa is ac ion simila ly, ega dless o how long a couple has been ma ied. One possible eason
o he abo e inding is ha he co e issues o socie al expec a ions abou childbea ing a e
undamen al o ma i al s abili y and do no necessa ily diminish wi h ime. Fo example,
childlessness may con inue o exe a signi ican psychological and social s ain on couples
h oughou hei ma iage due o pe sis en socie al expec a ions. The inding is consis en wi h
Onyishi (2023), who ound ha issues con ibu ing o ma i al dissa is ac ion a e consis en
ac oss di e en s ages o ma iage and ha ac o s like in ideli y and mis us signi ican ly
a ec ma i al sa is ac ion ega dless o ma iage leng h, as emo ional needs and us dynamics
emain c i ical h oughou ela ionships. The inding also suppo s F on ie s (2023), who ound
ha while du a ion may in luence ma i al oles and expec a ions, i s impac on dissa is ac ion
due o speci ic s esso s like childlessness o in ideli y migh be negligible. This could s em
om he endu ing psychological and emo ional oll o hese issues, i espec i e o he du a ion
o ma iage.
Conclusion and Recommenda ions
Based on he indings o he s udy, i was concluded ha childlessness signi ican ly
con ibu e o ma i al dissa is ac ion among ma ied eache s in Del a S a e. Despi e his
signi ican ela ionship, he absence o mode a ing e ec s om du a ion o ma iage sugges
ha he ac o in luence ma i al dissa is ac ion uni o mly ac oss demog aphic g oup. In iew
o his, he ollowing ecommenda ions we e ad anced:
i. Counsello s should p o ide guidance on coping s a egies o couples acing
childlessness, including emo ional suppo and al e na i e amily-building
op ions. Ma ied eache s can bene i om suppo g oups o counselling o
manage eelings o disappoin men and dissa is ac ion ela ed o childlessness.
ii. Counsello s should p o ide suppo ailo ed o he speci ic needs o he couple,
ega dless o how long hey’ e been ma ied. Ma ied eache s should no
assume ha ime alone can esol e ma i al issues bu should ac i ely wo k on
imp o ing hei ela ionship h ough open dialogue and join e o s.
In e na ional Jou nal o Resea ch (IJR)
e-ISSN: 2348-6848
p-ISSN: 2348-795X
Vol. 12 Issue 11
No embe 2025
Recei ed: 1 Oc obe 2025 365
Re ised: 11 No embe 2025
Accep ed: 24 No embe 2025
Copy igh au ho s 2025 DOI: HTTPS://DOI.ORG/10.5281/ZENODO.17700352
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