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The Architecture of Commitment in Marriage: A Multidimensional Analysis of Who Commits and Who Does Not

Arinaitwe Julius, Musiimenta Nancy


Abstract

Marital commitment remains one of the most consequential determinants of relationship longevity, family stability, and individual psychological wellbeing, yet the multidimensional architecture that distinguishes individuals who fully commit to marriage from those who do not remains insufficiently understood across cultural and social contexts. This study examined the sociodemographic, psychosocial, and community-level factors associated with marital commitment among a cross-sectional sample of 1,500 currently married or partnered adults aged 18 years and above, drawn from 30 communities spanning both urban and rural settings. Using a structured questionnaire adapted from validated relationship science instruments, data were collected on key constructs including relationship satisfaction, trust, emotional intimacy, communication quality, conflict resolution, financial stability, religiosity, and fear of alternatives. Univariate analysis revealed that 66.7% of respondents were classified as highly committed, while 33.3% exhibited low commitment profiles. Bivariate analysis using independent samples t-tests demonstrated statistically significant differences between committed and uncommitted respondents across all psychosocial variables (p < 0.001), with the largest effect sizes observed for relationship satisfaction (d = 0.82), trust (d = 0.84), and emotional intimacy (d = 0.79). Binary logistic regression identified relationship satisfaction (OR = 2.32), trust in partner (OR = 2.14), and emotional intimacy (OR = 2.03) as the strongest individual-level predictors of commitment, alongside significant contributions from tertiary education (OR = 1.79), age group 35–44 (OR = 1.68), and religious values (OR = 1.51). Fear of available alternatives was the only significant negative predictor (OR = 0.64). Multilevel modelling further revealed that community-level factors — including community religiosity, urbanization, and collective education levels — accounted for approximately 11.1% of the variance in commitment status in the null model (ICC = 0.111), which was substantially reduced to 3.3% upon inclusion of both individual and community predictors in the full model, indicating that individual-level factors are the primary drivers of commitment while community context provides a meaningful but secondary modulating influence. The study concludes that marital commitment is a multidimensional phenomenon shaped by the interplay of emotional, cognitive, social, and structural forces, and recommends targeted psychoeducational couple interventions, structural policy support for relationship health, and community-based programmes that leverage religiosity and social networks to strengthen marital bonds.

Keywords

marital commitment relationship satisfaction multilevel modelling psychosocial factors binary logistic regression family stability.
Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research

Cite This Article

Arinaitwe Julius & Musiimenta Nancy (2026). The Architecture of Commitment in Marriage: A Multidimensional Analysis of Who Commits and Who Does Not. Metropolitan Journal of Academic and Applied Research, 5(3). https://journals.miu.ac.ug/pages/article.php?article_id=331

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