ABSTRACT

The study determined the effect of pluralistic family communication pattern (PFCP) on emotional intelligence and marital satisfaction among couples in Abia State, using quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, non-randomized control group research design with 3 x 2 factorial matrix. The purpose of the study specifically was to determine the effect of pluralistic family communication pattern on couples in perceiving emotion; utilizing emotion; understanding emotion and managing emotion. The study equally determined the effect of PFCP on marital satisfaction and its effect on couples based on gender. Eight research questions and 8 null hypotheses guided the study. The population of the study comprised 2,321 couples who experience marital disharmony and low emotional intelligence. Purposive sampling technique was used in the selection of 96 married persons who experience marital disharmony and low emotional intelligence. Marital Satisfaction Inventory (MSI) and Emotional Intelligence Scale (EIS) were the instruments used to collect data for the study. The instruments were duly validated and Reliability indices of 0.84 and 0.89 respectively were obtained using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. The research questions were analyzed using mean and standard deviation while the null hypotheses were tested using ANCOVA and t-test of independent samples at 0.05 level of significance. Results from the study revealed that P F C P has positive effect on couples in perceiving emotion, utilizing emotion, understanding emotion and managing emotion; both male and female participants treated with PFCP had improved marital satisfaction. There was a significant mean score difference in managing emotion of couples treated with PFCP as well as a significant difference in the marital satisfaction and emotional intelligence mean scores of husbands and wives when exposed to PFCP and control group. There was a significant mean score difference in marital satisfaction of couples treated with PFCP. PFCP also had positive effect on couples' marital satisfaction. Couples exposed to PFCP gained the same high level of emotional intelligence and marital satisfaction. PFCP had relative effect on couples based on gender as both husbands and wives had improved marital satisfaction at post-test. The results also showed that there was a significant mean score difference on perceiving emotion of couples exposed to PFCP and the control at post-test. There was also significant mean score difference in utilizing emotion of couples exposed to PFCP and control at post-test. There was a significant mean score difference in understanding emotion of the couples treated with PFCP and the control at post-test. There was equally significant mean score difference in managing emotion of couples exposed to PFCP and the control at post-test. But, there was no significant gender difference among the couples treated with PFCP at post-test and Follow-up. Couples exposed to PFCP improved their marital satisfaction and emotional intelligence at the same level. It was therefore concluded that PFCP improves couples' marital satisfaction and Emotional intelligence at the same level irrespective of gender. Based on the findings, discussions, implications and recommendations were made. One of the recommendations was that couples who experience marital disharmony should be exposed to PFCP.