Impact of Premarital Cohabitation on Marital Stability as Expressed by Married Adults in Ilorin, Nigeria

There is an increase in the rate of cohabitation among the youth especially tertiary institution students. Youth engages in cohabitation without necessarily thinking about the consequences. Studies especially in Nigeria presume that cohabitation will impact marital stability yet the impact of cohabitation to the best of the researchers knowledge are yet to be empirically investigated. Thus, this paper focused on examining the influence that premarital cohabitation has on subsequent marital stability as expressed by literate married adults in Ilorin Metropolis. A total number of 300 literate married adults participated in the study. Hence, 300 copies of the questionnaire forms were administered to randomly selected respondents across the metropolis. The data collected were subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics of percentages, mean score, t-test and Analysis of Variance. The findings revealed negative impact of premarital cohabitation on stability of marriage. Variables such as age, gender and educational qualification were also found to affect respondents’ views on how premarital union impact stability of marriage. It is therefore recommended that counsellors should enlighten the youth regarding the negative impact that cohabitation preceding marriage has on stability of subsequent marriage.

Keywords: Impact, literate married adults, marital stability, premarital cohabitation