Abstract
Marital discord and legal disputes significantly impact women's mental well-being. This study investigated the relationship between marital dissatisfaction, female sexual dysfunction, and overall mental health status among Muslim women attending the Udapalatha Quazi Court in Kandy, Sri Lanka. A quantitative cross-sectional design was utilized with a purposive sample of 100 married women (N = 100). Standardized psychometric tools were employed: the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (KMSS), Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21), and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Ethical approval and institutional authorization were formally obtained (Ref: QC/UDP/RES/01). Written informed consent and strict confidentiality were maintained throughout the study. Statistical analysis using SPSS revealed that 87% of participants experienced severe marital dissatisfaction. Pearson correlation showed significant positive associations between marital discord and clinical distress across depression, anxiety, and stress (p < .001). Furthermore, lower sexual functioning (FSFI) significantly correlated with poorer general mental health (p < .01). Multiple regression analysis confirmed that marital dissatisfaction and sexual dysfunction are strong predictors of mental health decline. These empirical findings highlight an urgent need to integrate professional clinical psychological services, mandatory pre-legal marital counseling, and structured psycho-social support mechanisms within the Quazi court system to protect and improve women's mental health.
Keywords
- Marital Discord
- Sexual Dysfunction
- Mental Health
- Quazi Court
- Muslim Women
Read the full article
The PDF contains the full text of the published article.
picture_as_pdf View full article (PDF)