The Influence of Communication Counseling on Couples’ Marital Relationship in Ruiru Sub-County, Kiambu County, Kenya

Premarital counseling is crucial for couples who are preparing to enter into a marriage because it gives them the knowledge they need to build a solid marriage foundation. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of communication counseling on relationship among young couples married for one to ten years in selected catholic churches of Ruiru Sub-County, Kiambu County, Kenya. This study was guided by family development and Gottman theories on relationships. It adopted an ex post facto design and focused on married couples in select Catholic churches in Ruiru Sub-County. The target population was young couples married for between one and ten years and members of selected catholic churches in Ruiru Sub-County. Purposive sampling was used to select 385 respondents. Structured questionnaires were used to collect quantitative data. SPSS Version 25.0 was used in the analysis of quantitative data. Likert-scale items were analyzed descriptively using frequencies, percentages, and measures of central tendency, including the mean and standard deviation. To test the hypothesis, the chi-square test was used. The findings revealed that communication counseling significantly contributes to building and sustaining healthy marital relationships. A majority of the respondents expressed agreement that counseling on effective communication helped them resolve conflicts, express emotions such as love and commitment, and comfortably discuss their shared experiences. The Chi-Square test (χ² = 6.840, df = 2, p = 0.027) indicated a statistically significant association between communication counseling and marital relationship quality.