Intimacy Style Preference of Married Adults in West Africa. A Case of Nigeria and Ghana

Abstract

Sexual intimacy is one of the functions of marriage and married couples especially in Africa. Many marriages and by extension families in Nigeria and Ghana are unstable because of misunderstanding around intimacy style preference. The study investigated sexual intimacy style preference of married adults in West Africa, using a case study of Nigeria and Ghana. The research design adopted was a descriptive survey. A total sample of 324 respondents was sampled in the study using purposive sampling and random sampling techniques. A questionnaire title preferred sexual style inventory was used to gather data for the study. The instrument was validated by expert in the department of counseling education and its reliability was established using test re-test and a coefficient of 0.74 was derived. The result of the study revealed that most preferred sexual intimacy styles of married adult in Nigeria were traditional missionary style, doggy style and the cow girl/woman on top style. Also, the study revealed that married adults in Ghana preferred traditional missionary, cow girl, and doggy style. The study also revealed that there was a significant difference in the sexual intimacy style preference of married adults in Nigeria and Ghana. Based on the findings it is recommended that sociologists and marriage-family counselors should seek to develop awareness about most preferred intimacy styles among married and would be married people in Africa as a way of increasing marital stability and societal wellbeing in the continent.

Citation

Oniye, A.O., Muhammed, S.A., Mogaji-Yusuf, K., Sunmonu-David, C.M. and Dapaah, A.K. (2022), "Intimacy Style Preference of Married Adults in West Africa. A Case of Nigeria and Ghana", Fawole, O.A. and Blair, S.L. (Ed.) Families in Nigeria: Understanding Their Diversity, Adaptability, and Strengths (Contemporary Perspectives in Family Research, Vol. 18), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 151-163. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1530-353520220000018012