Authors: Purity Kendi, Stella Nyagwencha & Naomi Nyarigoti
United States International University-Africa
P.O. Box 14634 – 00800, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: kendiashitiva@gmail.com
Abstract: Emotional neglect or abuse is known to be one of the most common forms of adverse childhood experiences, which is defined as the failure of caregivers to meet the psychological needs of a minor. It has been predicted that childhood emotional neglect may impact adult relationships. Therefore, the main purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between childhood emotional neglect and the quality of marital satisfaction among married individuals attending an evangelical church in Nairobi, Kenya. This study utilized a descriptive cross-sectional research design to collect data from 288 married individuals sampled from 14,400 married couples across 17 parishes using the Cochran (1963) formula. A total of 288 married individuals’ both male (N=150, 52.1%) and female (N= 138, 47.9%) with age ranges from 20 years to 75 years old with a mean age of 45.9 ± (SD: 12.235) were sampled and screened to participate in the study. The ACE International Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) and Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) were used to collect data from the participants. Results from the Mantel-Haenszel Common odds ratio estimate indicate a strong statistical association between emotional neglect and the quality of marital satisfaction among the respondents (OR: 2.234; 95% CI: 1.199 – 4.165). Also, the study found a positive correlation between emotional neglect and the quality of marital relationships (r = .151; p = 0.010) and a negative relationship between emotional abuse and the quality of marital relationships. The study concluded that relevant stakeholders may consider necessary factors to curb the pandemic of emotional abuse and neglect. The study suggested that a longitudinal study may be considered to explore a predictive relationship between emotional abuse and neglect, and the adverse effect on adulthood beyond a single moment in time.
Keywords: adverse childhood experiences (aces), emotional abuse, emotional neglect, quality of marital relationship
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Suggested Citation
Kendi,P., Nyagwencha, S. and Nyarigoti, N.Childhood Emotional Abuse and Neglect as Determinants of Marital Relationship Quality among Married Members of an Evangelical Church in Nairobi, Kenya. African Research Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 11(2), 32-45. Available online at http://arjess.org/social-sciences-research/childhood-emotional-abuse-and-neglect-as-determinants-of-marital-relationship-quality-among-married-members-of-an-evangelical-church-in-nairobi-kenya.pdf
