Publication . Januário, Dulcineia; Narciso, Isabel; Vieira-Santos, Salomé; Relvas, A. P.
This study follows up on a prior review of empirical research on African marital
relationships (scientific dissemination, thematic focus, and methodology), and presents a
summary of the results of empirical studies conducted in Africa (2000-2018) on
psychological processes and patterns in conjugality. Forty-one empirical studies, performed
predominantly in countries such as Nigeria, Ghana and South Africa, were analyzed. The
main themes identified were related to three categories: (1) conjugality, motivation and wellbeing; (2) marital quality, satisfaction and stability; (3) marital violence. The results indicate
that marriage is an important life goal in most African societies, especially for women and
that certain conditions linked to high-risk sexual behaviors, HIV and conjugal violence play
an important role in the dynamics of marital relationships.
