EFFECTS OF ASSERTIVENESS SKILLS AND SOLUTION-FOCUSED THERAPIES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF MARITAL CONFLICT AMONG TEACHERS IN KWARA STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

Marital conflict is a significant relational challenge that can negatively affect the emotional well-being, communication, and stability of couples. Among married teachers, occupational demands, financial pressures, work-family imbalance, poor communication, and other interpersonal challenges may contribute to marital conflict and create a need for effective counselling interventions. This study examined the effects of Assertiveness Skills Training (AST) and Solution-Focused Therapy (SFT) on the management of marital conflict among married secondary school teachers in Kwara State, Nigeria. A quasi-experimental design was adopted. Sixty married teachers who met the selection criteria were purposively selected and assigned to three groups: Assertiveness Skills Training (n = 20), Solution-Focused Therapy (n = 20), and control (n = 20). The interventions were administered for eight weeks, with one 50-minute session conducted weekly. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Analysis of Variance. Findings revealed a significant main effect of treatment on marital conflict, F(1, 50) = 83.056, p < .001. Both AST and SFT groups recorded substantially lower post-intervention marital conflict than the control group. Although SFT produced the lowest estimated marginal mean (28.52), compared with AST (34.30), the difference between the two treatment groups was not statistically significant (p = .638). Gender also had a significant main effect while age did not. A significant treatment-by-gender interaction was observed, whereas the treatment-by-age interaction was not significant. The study concludes that both AST and SFT are useful counselling approaches for managing marital conflict among married teachers. Counsellors should consider integrating assertiveness and solution-focused strategies into marriage counselling programmes for teachers.