Deaf culture and social integration as predictors of marital choice among unmarried young adults with hearing impairment in southwestern Nigeria

Introduction: Marriage is a culturally regulated institution, yet communication barriers, minority cultural experiences and social exclusion complicate marital choice among Unmarried Young Adults with Hearing Impairment (UYAwHI). Purpose: The purpose of the study was to examine Deaf culture and social integration as determinants of marital choice among UYAwHI in Southwestern Nigeria. The study was anchored on Filter Theory of Mate Selection and Social Identity Theory. Methodology: An ex-post facto correlational design was adopted for the study. The population comprised UYAwHI aged 18-45 years in Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States. A multistage sampling procedure involving total enumeration, purposive, quota and snowball techniques was used to select 283 respondents from the Nigeria National Association of the Deaf. Data were collected with the Marital Choice Scale (α=0.85), Deaf Culture Scale (α=0.89), and Social Integration Scale (α=0.71). Data were analysed using Pearson product-moment correlation and Multiple Regression at 0.05 level of significance. Results: Deaf culture was strongly positively correlated with marital choice (r=.654, p<.001), while social integration showed a weak but significant correlation (r=.215, p<.001). Jointly, they accounted for 43% of the variance (R²=.43, F=105.63, p<.001). Deaf culture made the highest relative contribution (β=.50). Conclusion & Recommendations: Cultural identity was the primary filter for marital choice among UYAwHI. The study recommended Deaf-affirming premarital counselling and inclusive policies that promote Nigerian Sign Language and Deaf community participation.