The Mediating Role of Marital Satisfaction in the Relationship Between Sexual Satisfaction and Marital Stability Among Urban Married Individuals in Nifas Silk Lafto Sub City, Addis Ababa

Abstract This study examined the mediating role of marital satisfaction in the relationship between sexual satisfaction and marital stability among urban married individuals in Nifas Silk Lafto Sub-City, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, after controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, marital communication and marital conflict resolution. A cross-sectional explanatory design was used. Participants were 308 married individuals from Nifas Silk Lafto Sub City and selected through systematic sampling. Data were collected using the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale, the Marital Status Inventory and the ENRICH Marital Inventory. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses following a four-step procedure were conducted and Sobel’s test assessed the indirect effect. Results showed that sexual satisfaction significantly predicted marital stability ( b = .25, p < .001) and marital satisfaction ( b = 1.24, p < .001). Marital satisfaction also significantly predicted marital stability ( b = .17, p < .001). When marital satisfaction was controlled, the direct effect of sexual satisfaction on marital stability decreased from b = .25 to b = .07 but remained significant ( p = .01). The indirect effect was significant (Sobel z = 5.68, p < .001), supporting the presence of a partial mediating effect. The findings suggest that sexual satisfaction influences marital stability both directly and indirectly through marital satisfaction. These results highlight the importance of addressing both sexual satisfaction and overall marital satisfaction in marriage counseling and relationship education programs in Ethiopia. The study contributes to the limited research on marital stability in non-Western contexts and offers practical implications for practitioners and policymakers seeking to reduce divorce rates and promote healthy marriages.