Exploring How Resilience and Social Support Shape Marital Satisfaction in Middle Adulthood in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe

Abstract: This qualitative study explored how resilience and social support shape marital satisfaction among middle-aged adults in Bulawayo Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe. The problem was that middle-aged couples in Bulawayo faced economic hardship, health challenges, and caregiving pressures threatening marital satisfaction, yet no qualitative study had examined these dynamics in this unique context. The purpose was to explore how resilience and social support shape marital satisfaction. Three research questions guided the study: How does resilience shape marital satisfaction? How does social support influence marital satisfaction? What strategies can strengthen resilience and social support to improve marital satisfaction? The study was framed by Cohen and Wills’ (1985) Buffering Model of Social Support and Masten’s (2014) Resilience Framework. A phenomenological design was employed with 18 married adults aged 40-60 years, married for at least ten years, selected through purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in English or isiNdebele, audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using Braun and Clarke’s (2021) thematic analysis. Findings revealed three main themes. Resilience shaped marital satisfaction through enduring economic hardship together, recovering from conflict without sleeping on disagreements, drawing strength from religious faith and scripture, and applying personal strengths learned from parents. Social support operated through obligatory extended family assistance (ukama), church-based pastoral counselling and fellowship, trustworthy friendship networks, and traditional community mutual help (ilima). New findings revealed that resilience in Bulawayo is dyadic and co-constructed between spouses rather than individualistic, and traditional support systems remain functionally legitimate. Strategies for strengthening marital satisfaction included teaching communication skills, establishing ongoing church-based marriage programmes with peer mentoring, implementing economic strengthening initiatives such as savings groups and joint businesses, and normalizing help-seeking through leader self-disclosure. The study concluded that resilience and social support are indispensable, culturally grounded resources for marital satisfaction in Bulawayo’s middle adulthood. Recommendations were made to the Ministry of Health, church leaders, community organizations, and marriage counsellors.