THE ROLE OF INTERPERSONAL COMMUNICATION IN THE RESOLUTION OF MARITAL CONFLICT AMONG COUPLES IN SELECT CHURCHES, IN RCCG RIVERS PROVINCE TWO

Abstract

The study is anchored on constructivism theory and adopts descriptive survey with the questionnaire as the instrument of data collection. It has a total population of 15, 789 drawn the from the Redeemed Christian Church of God Province two. It uses Meyer’s sample size determination to arrive at 370 with the use of cluster sampling technique. The objectives of the study include to identify the
interpersonal communication common to couples in the select churches in RCCG, Rivers Province
two, to examine the extent of the use of interpersonal communication in conflict resolution among couples in select churches in RCCG Rivers Province two, etc. The result of the study shows that
phone calls, face-to-face meeting and text/WhatsApp messages are the major interpersonal
communication common to couples in Rivers Province two; it also confirmed that the extent of the use of interpersonal communication for conflict resolution among couples in Rivers Province two
is very high. Although, ineffective interactions, differences in economic status of couples, cultural
differences and lack of unity as well as lack of understanding are the major challenges facing the use of interpersonal communication for conflict resolution among couples in Rivers Province two.
The study recommends that couples in Rivers Province two should adopt other interpersonal
communication means like the use of e-mail, letter and gesture/body language for resolution of  conflicts since people are encouraged to maintain social distance and accommodate persons with special needs.