Marital discords among naval personnel and its implications

Abstract

Marital discords occur when the relationship between the husband and the wife becomes strained resulting in breakup between the couple. This study investigated the causes of marital discords among naval personnel in two barracks each in Lagos and Abuja. Surveys
and interviews were used to collect information from 250 respondents. Structured and semistructured questionnaires were used to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics of naval personnel and the different contributing factors of marital discords. The demographic characteristics of respondents revealed that 73.20% were male while 26.80% were female. Majority of the respondents (36.00%) were between the age range of 41-50 years. None of the respondents was below 20 years of age. Among the key contributing factors responsible for marital discords are frequent posting of personnel, extramarital affairs, lack of care for spouse, beating and disobedience. The findings further revealed the implications of marital discords on naval personnel, their families and the community at large. Study showed that marital discords could result in bad parenting, reduced productivity at work, financial strain on the family and extramarital affairs. Therefore, the well-being of naval personnel should be prioritized by the Navy in order to create a friendlier environment for the naval family.