Forgiveness as a Correlate of Marital Harmony among Married Teachers in Delta State of Nigeria

This study examined the relationship between marital forgiveness and marital harmony among married teachers in Delta State. Three research questions and three hypotheses guided the study. The study adopted the correlational research design in. The population comprised 8,526 married teachers in Delta State. The sample size was 879 married teachers from Delta State. A multi-stage sampling method was used to select the sample. The research instrument that was utilized for the data collection was a Marital Forgiveness and Marital Harmony Questionnaire (MFMHQ). The face validity was estimated through experts’ objective judgement. The total cumulative variance was used to estimate the content validity of the instrument while the rotated component matrix was used to estimate its construct validity. The psychometric properties of the instrument were therefore found to be appropriate. The data collected were analysed using Pearson’s Product Moment correlation and regression statistics. All the null hypotheses were tested at .05 level of significance. The findings of the study revealed that a significant positive relationship exists between marital forgiveness and marital harmony among married teachers; that there is no significant moderating impact of sex in the relationship between marital forgiveness and marital harmony among married teachers; and that there is no significant moderating impact of duration of marriage in the relationship between marital forgiveness and marital harmony of married teachers in Delta State, Nigeria. The study recommended that couples struggling with marital forgiveness in their marriages should consider seeking professional help.