This study investigated the factors affecting effective communication in marriage. The high rate of separation and misunderstanding among married adults in Ilorin metropolis due to lack of communication necessitated this study. A good number of men and women either go to court to ask for separation legally or on their agreement with each other to ask for separate living due to ineffective communication.

This researcher employed the descriptive survey method for the study. The population consisted of married adults. The sample consisted of 200 married adults randomly selected across Ilorin metropolis of Kwara State. Six research hypotheses were generated respectively to guide the study. Data were collected using a researcher designed instrument questionnaire named “Factors Affecting Effective Communication in Marriage Questionnaire (FAECMQ)”. It consists of two sections Section A deals with the demographic data while Section B contains item on the factors affecting effective communication in marriage. Content validity of the instrument was established by experts while the reliability coefficient of 0.74 was obtained by administering it twice after an interval of four weeks to 20 married adults who were not part of the sample. Data analysis was done using percentage, mean scores, t-test and Analysis of Variance, (ANOVA). All hypotheses were tested at 0.05 alpha level.

Based on the findings; it was revealed that there was a significant difference in perception of married adults based on gender, age, religion, marital status and years in married of married adults while there was no significant difference on the basis of educational qualification on factors affecting effective communication in marriage. Thus, five hypotheses were rejected and one was accepted.

Based on the findings, it is recommended that couples should be committed to their marriage relationship so as to bring peace and harmony in the home; couples should try as much as possible to settle differences with each other and understand each other, while cultural and religious tolerance should be given priority.