Relationship Between Work-Related Stress and Ineffective Communication and Lack of Emotional Intimacy Among Married Academic Staff in Public Universities in Benue and Nasarawa States, Nigeria

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between work-related stress, ineffective communication and lack of emotional intimacy among married academic staff in public universities in Benue and Nasarawa States, Nigeria, The study was guided by two research questions, and null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Using a correlational survey design, data were collected from 363 married lecturers selected through multistage sampling from five universities. Two researcher-developed instruments the Work-Related Stress Inventory (WRSI) and the Ineffective Communication and Lack of Emotional Intimacy Inventory (ICLEI) measured occupational stress, ineffective communication and lack of emotional intimacy, respectively, and were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson Product Moment Correlation was used to answer the research questions while linear regression was used to test the hypotheses. Findings revealed that higher work-related stress significantly predicted ineffective marital communication and reduced emotional intimacy, indicating that heavy workloads, research obligations, and administrative duties diminish emotional energy and time for marital interactions. The study concludes that work-related stress is a key contributor to ineffective communication and lack of emotional intimacy among academic staff and underscores the need for institutional interventions, including stress management programs, flexible workload policies, marital counselling, and work–life balance initiatives. Based on the findings, it was recommended that workshops and relationship-enrichment programs to equip lecturers with coping strategies that support marital satisfaction and relational harmony.