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INTRODUCTION

Quality of Life (QOL)

Quality of life is a broad concept relating in general to the overall level of wellbeing in society. It does not refer solely to the material resources available to individuals or households, but it focuses on enabling people to achieve their goals and choose lifestyle ideal for them.

As Robeyns and Veen (2007) wrote, “there is no generally accepted definition of ‘quality of life’. Quality of life has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as individuals’ perception of their life in the context of culture and value system in which they live in relation to the goals, expectations, standards and concerns. QOL refers to those aspects of life and human functions that are considered essential for living a full life.

Quality of life interconnects many different elements of life such as social, physical and cultural aspects. Concept of quality of life acknowledges individuals’ need to belong in different places and social groups, as well as to differentiate oneself by pursuing aims and making decisions and choices.

Quality of life is also a dynamic concept; values and self-evaluations of life may change over time in response to life and health events and experiences. Each area of quality of life can also have knock on effects on the others. For example, retaining independence and social participation may promote feelings of emotional wellbeing, but are partly dependent on retaining health and adequate finances. These can also be influenced by local transport facilities, type of housing, community resources, and social relationships. Quality of life is multidimensional and its parts affect each other as well as the sum.

Models of quality of life

The main models of quality of life are

• Objective indicator

• Subjective indicator

• Satisfaction of human needs

• Psychological model

• Health and functioning model

• Social health model

• Social cohesion and social capital

• Environmental models

• Ideographic

Objective indicators are standard of living, health and longevity, housing and neighborhood characteristics. These are typically measured with indicators of cost of living, mortality rates, health service provision, education levels, neighborhood structure and density, socio-economic structure and indicators of inequality and crime in the neighborhood. From the World Database of Happiness, which indicated individualization in the society makes citizens to enjoy their lives. Individualization includes people’s capability to choose, opportunities for freedom of political choice, freedom of economic choice and freedom of personal choices. The international data on quality of life has been produced by Mercer Human Resource Consulting (2003) analyzed 39 objective indicators of quality of life in 20 world cities, and which covered political, social, economic and environmental factors; personal safety and health, education, transport and other public services.

Subjective indicators are life satisfaction and psychological well-being, morale, individual fulfillment, happiness, measured using indicators of life satisfaction, morale, balance of affect, and self-worth (esteem).

Satisfaction of human needs is objective circumstances such as housing, security, food, warmth and opportunities for self-actualization. Needs-based satisfaction model is developed based on Maslow’s (1954) hierarchy. As per Maslow’s theory of self actualization, satisfaction is measured by how much they met the expectations of their life and human needs necessary for maintenance and existence (physiological, safety and security, social and belonging, ego, status and self-esteem, and self actualization). Maslow (1968) further argued that once these basic needs are satisfied, human beings pursue higher needs such as self-actualization, happiness and esteem. It has been argued that human needs are the foundations for quality of life, and hence quality of life can be defined in terms of human needs and the satisfactory fulfillment of those needs.

Psychological models are influencing and mediating variables which emphasize personal growth, cognitive competence, efficiency and adaptability, level of dignity, perceived independence; social competence, control , autonomy, self efficacy or self-mastery as well as optimism-pessimism. This model is similar to Bentham’s utilitarian philosophy which regarded well-being as the difference in value between the sum of pleasures of all sorts and the sum of pains of all sorts which a man experienced in a given period of time. Pleasure and satisfaction are insufficient for a good quality of life and a sense of purpose or meaning, self-esteem and self worth are crucial for good Quality of life. It also includes social comparisons-gap relativity models of past experience, present circumstances and aspirations for the future – the individual’s achievement of their expectations, hopes and aspirations, particularly in relation to social comparisons with others.

Health and functioning model is measured through the health status. Health and quality of life is highly correlated with self-reported health status and indicators of well-being (Zautra  & Hempel, 1984). Good levels of physical and mental functioning and general health status have long been associated with perceived well-being, morale and overall quality of life. Mental health, psychological resources and outlook are also key components of ‘successful ageing’ and wellbeing (Baltes & Baltes, 1990). It is a direct component of well-being and contributes to a person’s basic ability to function in their social roles, to pursue valued activities and goals in life, and to choose the life which they value.

Social health model is measured with indicators of social networks, support and activities. Social networks are the identified social relationships that surround an individual, their characteristics and individuals’ perceptions and valuations of them. Network characteristics include their size, density , boundedness , homogeneity, frequency of contact of members, their multiplexed (number of types of transactions within them), duration and reciprocity. Social support is the interactive process in which emotional, instrumental or financial aid is obtained from network members. Human ecology theory also focuses on the interactions and interdependent relationships between people, and postulates that families are an important resource and a rich environment for individual members (Rettig & Leichtentritt, 1999).

Social cohesion and social capital are includes societal, environmental and neighborhood resources. It is measured by objective indicators of indices of crime, pollution, cost of living, shopping facilities, access to areas of scenic quality, cost of owner occupied housing, education facilities, policing, employment levels, wage levels, unemployment levels, climate, access to indoor/outdoor sports, travel to work time, access to leisure facilities, quality of council housing, access to council housing cost of private rented accommodation.

Environmental models are concerned with the study of aging in ones place of residence and the importance of designing enabling internal and external environments in order to promote the independence and active social participation to the people.

Ideographic are individualized, hermeneutic approaches based on the individuals values, interpretations and perceptions, satisfaction with their position, circumstances and priorities in life.

Marital adjustment is also a variable that connected with Quality of life. It may be interchangeably used with subjective well-being. QOL reflects the difference and the gap between the hopes and expectations of a person and one’s present experience. Human adaptation is such that life expectations are usually adjusted so as to lie within the realm of what the individual perceives to be possible. A good quality of life can be said to exist when the hopes of individuals in the marital relations are matched and fulfilled by experience. A good marriage not only produces a satisfied life but it also generates a sense of wellbeing.

Social exchange theory postulate that, satisfaction between spouses increases   based on attaining the expectations in rewards they receive (Kassin et al., 2008). When partners fail to reach their expectations it generates dissatisfaction in their relationship (Nye, 1982). Marital quality tends to peak in the first few years of marriage and then to decline until midlife. After that point it rises steadily with increasing age and duration of marriage.

The process of improving quality of life often requires the sustained collective action of people, and indeed of generations. The quality of life of one person can hardly be traced in isolation, as Putnam demonstrates (2008).

Marriage

Being attracted is the fundamental motive of human being. Research found that people will sacrifice most other goals like getting good education, having a successful carrier or contributing to a better society to before giving up a good relationship (Hammersla and Frease, 1990).  Three basic components which involve in intimate relationship are feelings of attachment, affection and love, the fulfillment of psychological needs, interdependence between partners. These components have positive impact in developing and maintaining a relationship.

Marriage is the universal social institution. It s established by the human society to control and regulate the sex life of man, it is connected with family. In fact marriage and family are complementary to each other. A marriage is a legally recognized union between two people, generally a man and a woman, in which they are united sexually, cooperate economically, and may give birth to, adopt, or rear children. The union is assumed to be permanent although it may be dissolved by separation or divorce. (Strong, DeVault, & Cohen, 2010). Marriage is documented by law and has legal validity. There are rights and duties of married couple and that is well addressed and enforced by the court of law. There are some procedures if the partners want to split, that is not only untying the relationship but also it concentrated with the assets and liabilities, child caring, custody and maintenance etc.

In India, marriage is thought to be for life, and the divorce rate is extremely low. Only 1.1% of marriages in India result in a divorce compared with over 45.8% in the United States, though the Indian figure appears to be rising. With the advancement of time, spread of education and campaigns of human rights activists, divorce has become a way to break free from the marital clutches for many women. Couples facing difficulties in equating their levels of compatibility are now filing for divorce in order to renew their life afresh. In fact, the rate of divorce is rapidly rising in the Indian metropolis. (Chary, 2009; Jones & Ramdas, 2004 & Roberts, 1990)

Ingredients of happy and permanent marriage are: similar values, friendship, communication, sexual satisfaction, mutual respect, religious faith (The National Marriage Project and The National Opinion Research Center, 2002, Rutgers University).  Ability to take financial responsibility would be an ingredient of successful marriage. It is one aspect which can be a source of conflict and stress among couples.

Marriage is not only a private contract, but a social institution of great public value and concern. The advantage of marriage to the society is unique because it is the foundation of the family and the basic building block of the society. It brings significant stability and meaning to human relationships. It is ideal for raising children. It plays an important role in transmitting culture and civilization to future generations. (Coleman, 1994)

Some of the important reasons for getting married are:

• To love and to be loved
• To protect and be cared for
• For emotional intimacy which fosters compassion and support
• To be socially recognized and give birth to children legally.
• To flee from a life of loneliness isolation.
• To share responsibilities.

Marital patterns:

• Polygamy, Polyandry, Monogamy, Group marriage (Shankar, 2005)
• Bigamy, Same-sex marriage, Cohabitation. In most cultures, monogamy is considered ideal. (Browne, 2011)

In Indian society there are mainly three different kinds of marriages:

1. The arranged marriage, which is managed by the family of the bride and the groom.

2. The love marriage, solemnized by the choice of the life partners themselves, and,

3. The love-cum-arrange marriage, where the boy and girl select each other but the marriage is organized by their parents.

Whether it is arranged, love or any other kind of marriage, the most valuable thing for the couples is to maintain satisfaction in their married life. In fact, marital satisfaction is an important research theme in all the studies concerning factors contributing to marriage. As marital satisfaction is a variable of this study, it asses the satisfaction level of wives of expatriate husbands.

Marital satisfaction:

Individual’s most central goals in life is satisfying marriage or relationship, across diverse cultures (Levinger & Huston, 1990). Indeed, marital happiness exceeds satisfaction in other domains (e.g., health, work, or children) as the strongest single predictor of overall life satisfaction. Marital satisfaction is relevant to mental health, general happiness, professional achievement and social interaction. Uniquely, it is a relatively stable attitude and attribute which reflects the individual‘s overall evaluation of the relationship. It depends upon the individual‘s needs, expectations, and desires for the relationship. (Snyder, 2010)

Marital satisfaction is a mental state that reflects the perceived benefits and costs of marriage to a particular person. Satisfaction in romantic partnership depends on finding a delicate balance between positive and negative interactions across time (Gottman, 1994).

Studies revealed that marital adjustment is problematic in the early years of marriage, as per the data the probability of divorce is highest during the first years of marriage between 2 and 4 years (Kreider & Fields, 2002). Also managing the employment and marriage is problematic to the newlyweds in the early months of marriage, and most of the newlyweds scored in distressed range on marital satisfaction and marital adjustment (Schramm, et al., 2005).

Additional sources of problem in the newly married couples are demands from parents & in-laws, religion, education or social class background. In these areas the couples have to compromise so many things, if they fail to compromise it develops the marital distress. Certain lifestyle decision may generate tension. The couple must establish a mutually satisfying sexual relationship. They must carry out an agreement on spending and saving money. They must respond to each other’s sleep patterns, food preferences, work pattern, toilet habit etc. For the better adjustment with the partner psychological commitment is very important. The factors which works to protect the marriage includes

• Respect
• Appreciation
• Commitment
• Mutual affection
• Trust
• Communication
• Adjustment

Effective communication and the ability to cope or solve the conflict are essential for the intimacy and high level of satisfaction. Studies found that people with high degree of marital satisfaction report frequent, pleasurable interactions and high degree of disclosure. Disclosure reciprocity means you tell a person what you are thinking about, and that person tells you what he or she thinking aboutassociated with greater relationship satisfaction (Lippert and Prager, 2001).

Self disclosure, partner’s disclosure and partner responsiveness are the important predictor of marital satisfaction. In contrast negative interactions and conflicts are associated with distress. Differences in the power between the partners, especially differences in the control of resources and ongoing disagreements about the allocation of resources are underlying source of marital conflict.

Three dimensions of conflict are

• Negative communication
• Coercive escalation
• Different perception of approach

Congruencebetween partners in how they think, they and their partner are approaching the resolution of conflict is significantly related to marital satisfaction where as lack of Congruenceissignificantly related to marital dissatisfaction and distress (Acitelli, 1997)

Criteria for Successful Marriage

Areas of agreement that partners will have generally include:

a) Friendship: Successful partners develop a significant friendship at the core of their relationship. They genuinely like each other, amuse and comfort one another, and prefer to spend time with each other.

b) Role expectations: The partners reach agreement with regards to how household responsibilities are to be divided and how they will behave with each other.

c) Emotional intimacy: Successful partners learn to trust each other, to be vulnerable to each other, to laugh together, and to support each other in times of need.

d) Sexual expectations: This may further dictate the kinds and patterns of sexual activities that each partner will and will not engage in. As sexual activity is strongly rewarding and bonding for couples, it is best for marriages when partners agree upon sexual expectations and are both satisfied with their lovemaking.

e) Vision/Goals: Successful partners agree that they want to pursue the same life paths, values and goals and mutually commit to those paths, values and goals. Examples might include decisions to have children or not, to attend or not to attend religious services, to raise a child in a particular faith, to save or spend money, or to live frugally or extravagantly, etc. (Dombeck, 2006).

 

 

Loneliness

Loneliness is a complex and usually unpleasant emotional response to isolation or lack of companionship. Loneliness typically includes anxious feelings about a lack of connection or communication with other beings, both in the present and extending into the future. The cognitive perspective assumes that loneliness results from an unacceptable discrepancy between the personal relationships people have and the relationships they would like to have. The notion of a discrepancy between people’s desires and reality suggests that we should examine not only the actual networks of personal relationships but also the preferences people have in this respect to gain insight into differences in feelings of loneliness (Dykstra, 1990)

Certain types of relationships within a person’s social network may result in feelings of loneliness is based on the assumption that different types of relationships serve different, more or less unique functions. Based on different type of relationships there two types of loneliness which is the loneliness of social isolation and the loneliness of emotional isolation. The married women were found to suffer from social isolation: though the married women are happy, they lacked a wider circle of friends and acquaintances who could give them a sense of belonging, of companionship, and of being a member of a community. The single parents, most of whom had put an end to an unhappy marriage, felt lonely because they no longer had a partner. They suffer from emotional isolation and the accompanying feelings of desolation and insecurity and of not having someone to turn to (Dykstra and Fokkema, 2007).

Social loneliness can be attributed primarily to unfulfilled needs in the wider network of support givers. Emotional loneliness, however, is associated primarily with the absence of a partner, that is, with the absence of an exclusive, close, and intimate tie (Dykstra and Fokkema, 2007).

Effects of loneliness

Feeling lonely is not mental health problem but loneliness and mental health is correlated. Having mental health problem may leads to feel lonely or feeling lonely may negatively affect the mental health. Chronic loneliness is not only correlated with mental health but also with physical health. The chronic loneliness is associated with the physical problem like stroke; cardiovascular diseases.

Marriage is associated with substantially less loneliness; being married was considerably more predictive of loneliness than cohabitation, indicating that companionship alone does not account for the protective nature of marriage. Both marriage and parental status were associated with lower levels of loneliness among men than women; marriage is associated with decreased loneliness independent of two intervening processes: marriage’s association with both health and financial satisfaction (Stack, 1998).

 

Migration

Technical advancement changed the structure of entire globe or society. This made different group of people to live together for the purpose of work or because of migration. Changes in the society or the social changes are like any single alteration, modification or transformation in the organization and operation of social activity.

As India is a developing country it faces many problems. Unemployment is a major curse to developing country like India. Kerala is the only state of India that has 100 % of literacy rate, and facing lots of unemployment problems. Kerala has higher rate of migrated youth. Unemployment is the main reason for the migration to Gulf countries. Since 1950s people from India are migrating to other countries. After the second half of 1970, it has reached sizable proportion. The number increased in the last few years and it become smaller after the 2008 when international financial crisis began to affect the GCC region. Initial wave of migration usually known as “Gulf boom”, that refers to a large number of people migrating to gulf. In   Kerala the period 1972 to 1983 is known as “Kerala Gulf boom”. According to Kerala migration survey 90% of migrants are in Gulf countries out of which 22 lack migrant workers are from Kerala (NOKRA, 2014).

People are motivated to migration for better job and prosperity in life. 70% of the migrants are married. Temporariness of the work or the high cost of living in the gulf countries made some of the emigrant to keep their family back home and save money for the future.

Impacts of migration

Migration or expatriation is like “tipping points”, which means situation that are previously rare becomes dramatically more common. Progress of international migration is very high and significant in the global scape. Broader development processes is both a cause and effect of migration and a fundamental facet of our ever globalizing world. Migration is most common from developing countries to developed countries primarily in the expectation of fast access to healthier economic opportunity. Developed nations are considering migration as a “positive force for development”. As migration increases its impacts becomes visible. Huge buildings, modern household equipments, sophisticated electronic machineries, perfumes and stereos add to the comforts of the families of the migrants. The outfit of family members, ornaments clad, attitude of shopping, etc speaks about it. Children too enjoy the enhanced economic security and get into educational institutions paying huge donations. Though the whole situation appears to be fascinating to the outsiders, the changes are mostly structural in nature.

Impact on Families 

Economical development is the main effect on family; individual can earn drastically higher income and can help the family. The change in living style of the expat and family members of expat is noticeable. As economical changes occur the opportunity of getting higher education and getting higher position in the society will increase. Along with this long term familial separation also takes place, this may cause complicated direct and indirect impact on children and between spouses.

Parental Migration Influences Child Development

Economical stability is the motivation for migration. Greater investment to a child’s multiple development is based on the family recourses so greater family income can afford greater investment on this. Studies in the West find a strong association between higher household incomes and a variety of child development outcomes.

But long term parental absence is the negative outcome of the migration. The impact differs based on the absence of mother or father or significant caretaker. Psychological research has found that parental support is a significant predictor of student’s capacity to deal with stress, anxiety and loss of control. Children with strong parental support do better in school and develop mature psychological traits. They aspire to do good work, experience pleasure in one’s work, and develop both initiative and a sense of control over events, and are better behaved. Environments that destabilize a child’s sense of self control over their life may increase the likelihood of internalizing problems. Research on other contexts in which parents are absent (e.g., single parenthood, divorce, military separation) focus mostly on father absence, which is usually negatively associated with a variety of child level outcomes in developed countries. Children who live in single mother families have been found to have lower academic achievement scores, more likely to suffer from psychological or behavioral problems, and are more likely to drop out of school(Park, Lee & deBrauw, 2010).

Impact on Spouse Left Behind

Migration has reflective impact on females left behind. These females may be mothers, sisters, daughters or wives. The impact of migration differs from female to female based on the social category and size of their family. The impact leads to be serious and sever in wives left behind.

Mainly, the expatriate wives have to take important familial decision in the absence of their spouse. The entire family responsibilities lie on them including disciplining the children.  At the same time they have to develop and maintain harmonious relationship with other family members.

Thousands of married women are in Kerala lives away from their husbands because of migration. Marriage may be reduced to two-and-a-half months of joy in every two years for the wives and the children hardly get to know their fathers during this period. A prolonged separation in the early period of marriage seriously curtails the marital life of many a young couple. Suppressed sobs and plaintive murmurs linger behind the facade of the luxurious togs and exotic perfumes that make up the world of these women. According to the Kerala migration study these women are hardly equipped to cope up with the separation (Zacharaih, Mathew and Rayan, 2000).

Research findings have also shown that women in the migrant households face many tensions, pressures, conflicts and anxieties. These women definitely face problems of loneliness, added responsibilities. The burden and burn out of these women will be doubled when they begin a career of their own. The dual role as a working woman and a care taker at home, that too without support, makes these women depressed and helpless (M.S, 2011).

Review of literature

Quality of life

Iqbal, Iqbal and Mozmi (2014) studied the effect of migration on families left behind in Gujrat, Pakistan. 20 females were selected through purposive sampling techniques. A qualitative technique was used to gather and interpret the data. The study reported that male migration has a profound impact on families left behind especially on their spouse and children. Wives of expatriate husbands suffer from many psychological problems like isolation, depression, feeling unwanted, inability to adjust with others, restlessness, lack of confidence, feeling becoming dependent and feeling of loss of family life in the absence of their husbands at home. This study stresses the importance of life partners staying together. The long term separation of the partner causes psychological problems.

A study by Esmaeilzadeh, Delavar and Delavar (2013) focused on the quality of life of married rural women in Iran. A total of 1,140 (577 urban and 563 rural) women aged 20-45 years were selected. The questionnaire with 55 items consists of five domains: physical state, mental/emotional state, stress evaluation, life enjoyment, and overall quality of life. Result revealed that the women living in rural place having high physical quality of life but they have very less quality of life I enjoyment domain. By fulfilling the health care needs and educational needs of the rural married women can help to improve their quality of life.

Dogan, Tugut, & Golbasi (2013) studied the relationship of sexual quality of life with happiness, and satisfaction of marriage among married women in Thurkish. The sample comprised of 204 female volunteers, aged between 18 and 63 who were registered at a family health center. Result revealed that sexual quality of life positively contributes to happiness and satisfaction with life. Developing the sexual quality of life for women would consequently increase their happiness and life satisfaction.

Bindu (2011) conducted a cross cultural study on marital adjustment and its psychosocial correlates among women from Kerala and Qatar. 200 women from Qatar and 300 women from Kerala were selected as the sample for the study. Study concluded that wives of expatriate husband in Kerala have the highest stress, low quality of life and have low marital adjustment. When the couples live together, the physical presence of the partner itself gives a support and it   reduce the stress level also it enhances the quality of marital life.

John (2002) conducted a studyon marital quality among wives of expatriate men. Two groups of samples were used, sample one, consisting of 200 women spouses of men working abroad from Pathanamthitta district of Kerala state, constitutes the study group. Sample two, consisting of 200 women spouses who are staying with their partners and matching in the duration of marriage to the study group, as the control group. It is found that the group that is experiencing separation due to occupation showed low marital quality than the other group. The occupational separation significantly influenced marital quality. Also the duration of marriage had significant association with marital quality. The one year duration group showed the highest marital quality and third and; fourth year group showed lowest marital quality. Frequency of the home visit of husband significantly influenced marital quality of the wives. Many a times in some kind of occupation abroad men are not able to take their wives with them. Wives of these expatriate men will experience poor quality of life, at least if men increase their frequency of visits to their home, it may reduce psychological disturbance of wives and improve their quality of life.

Garibi, Sanagouymoharer & Yaghoubinia (2015) studied the relationship between quality of life and marital satisfaction of nurses from Zahedan. A descriptive and correlational study, sample comprised of 103 nurses in various wards in Social Security hospital in Zahedan. The study revealed that physical functioning, role limitations due to physical health problems, role limitation due to emotional problems have a significant positive correlation and the bodily pain had a significant negative correlation with marital satisfaction. The result of study shows the importance of marital satisfaction in quality of life. Good mental health and physical health are important for the better quality of life.

The study by Ismail, A.n, & F (2015) examined the relationship between quality of life and marital satisfaction of married women in Malasiya. Sample comprised of 603 couples were selected in a purposive sampling method. Study show that there is a positive relationship between marital satisfaction and all domains of QOL such as physical, emotion, stress life enjoyment and over all QOL. Beside marital satisfaction, gender, number of children and monthly income were found to effect on emotional stress and life enjoyment.

A study conducted by Rostami, Ghazinour, Nygren, Nojumi & Richter (2013) focused on the health related quality of life, marital satisfaction, social support of medical staff in Iran. The sample consisted of 653 medical staff. Result revealed that women have low quality of life and marital satisfaction than men. Marital satisfaction is related with mental health of women. Thus women can enhance their mental health by improving the marital quality.

Knoke, Burau, & Roehrle (2010) in their study assessed the attachment styles, loneliness, quality, and stability of marital relationships. Sample for the study consisted of 63 couples.  It was found that marital quality was predicted by emotional loneliness, fearful attachment style, and age. Marital quality can be enhanced by providing emotional support to the partners.

Marital satisfaction

A study conducted by Okoh and ellizabet (2016) to assed the effect of spousal support on marital satisfaction among married bank female workers in consolidated banks in Warri metropolis. 209 married female bank workers were selected as sample for the study through stratified random sampling technique. The result showed that there is positive and significant relationship between emotional support and marital satisfaction. This study reveals that emotional support is very necessary because it provides the partner with effective and instrumental support.

A systematic review on correlates of adjustment and life satisfaction of middle aged couples was done by Nema and Bansal (2015) and it proved that the factors like family environment, work condition, social environment, financial status, marital relation etc affect married couples’ adjustment and satisfaction. Better familial environment and support is essential for the couples satisfaction and adjustment.

A study conducted by Han, Park, Kim and Park (2014) examined the association between marital status and quality of life. Sample for the study is they used data from the Community Health Survey administered by the Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, involved 594,202 participants.  Study found that there is a significant relationship between marital status and QOL, and this relationship appeared to differ by gender and age. Women in their 30s, single women had the highest Quality of life values, but for 40–69 year-old women, single women had lower quality of life scores than married women. This study indicates that though at young age women enjoy being single, at the later age they require a life partner for emotional and social support.

Villa & et al. (2013) examined the influence of couples’ social skill on marital satisfaction. A total of 406 married individuals 188 men and 218 women were selected as the sample for this study. Husbands’ three social skills like assertive conversation, self-assertiveness and expressiveness/empathy were correlated with wives’ marital satisfaction. Results show a close relationship between the respondents’ marital satisfaction and their own repertoire of social skills, as well as between their marital satisfaction and their spouses’ repertoire of social skills. Findings of the study show the importance of one spouse’s social skills leading to the other spouse’s satisfaction.

Hirschberger, Srivastava, Marsh, Cowan & Cowan (2009) studied attachment, marital satisfaction, and divorce during the first fifteen years of parenthood. Sample consists of couples with children, covering a period of 15 years after the first child’s birth. The first sample extended from the pregnancy with a first child until that child was 5.5 years old; the second from ages 4.5 to 14.5. Study revealed that marital satisfaction declined over 15 years for both husbands and wives. Individuals who felt more secure with the partner consistently reported higher levels of marital satisfaction. Conversely, individuals who felt less secure with the partner were less satisfied in their marriages even before the children entered elementary school. Commitment between partner and the care giving by the partner will increase their marital satisfaction.

Monga, Alexandrescu, Katz, Stein and Ganiats (2004) studied impact of infertility on quality of life, marital adjustment, and sexual function. 18 infertile couples and 12 couples seeking elective sterilization (control group) are the samples of this study. The marital adjustments of infertile women were significantly lower, had lower quality-of-life and marital satisfaction than the scores of the control group however no difference was found in men. Women in infertile couples reported poor marital adjustment, and quality of life. Having and rearing children is essential in marriage and which helps to improve the quality of life the couple.

Loneliness

Sahar and Gillani (2014) studied the psychological impact of husband’s migration on their wives. 50 married women were chosen for the study. Out of which 29 women were living in joint family and 21 were living in nuclear family. Care was taken to select wives whose husbands were living abroad for last one year or more. Study found that depression and loneliness is significantly related among these women. The women who live in joint family found to have more loneliness than the women who lived in nuclear family. Expatriation can cause loneliness and that leads to depression. To prevent this and for better mental health married couples should live together.

Santini et al (2016) conducted a community based longitudinal study to assess the social relationships, loneliness, and mental health of older men and women from Ireland. Sample consisted of 6105 adults. Study found that higher levels of social strain from children were positively associated with depressive symptoms in women. It was also found that increasing relationship quality and strengthening existing social network structures can reduce the feeling of loneliness, and it is beneficial to the older adults to prevent the depressive symptoms.

Alves, Magalhães, Viola and Siomoes (2014) tried to find weather the demographics, perceived health, and social satisfaction are the predictors of loneliness in middle and old age. The sample of 1174 late middle age and older adults were selected. Results showed that, variables such as marital status, type of housing, health conditions, social satisfaction, social isolation and age were predictors of loneliness. Thus it is clear that a better social communication, good health and relationship reduce the level of loneliness.

Alonso, Pastor, Vara, Chedraui and Lopez (2012) studied the factors related to life satisfaction and loneliness. The sample taken for the study is 182 women. The study concluded that loneliness and life satisfaction in mid-aged female is influenced by personal and partner issues which seem to play a much more relevant role than biological aspects. Conflict between the partners may cause the loneliness than other factors like physical problems or personal issues. There for harmonies relationship between couples helps to lessen the loneliness level.

Warner and Adams (2012) examined the social context of disablement among married older adults, and the role of nonmarital relationships in loneliness. Secondary data from the National Social Life, Health, and Aging Project (NSHAP) was used in this study. Result revealed that study found that physical disability was associated with less supportive nonmarital relationships. While physically-disabled older adults in higher-quality marriages were buffered from loneliness, supportive non-martial relationships did not offset elevated loneliness among those in low-quality marriages. Both marital and nonmarital relationships are important for loneliness but when confronted with a stressor such as disablement it is the marital relationship alone that matters. Emotional and physical support from the partner helps the disabled partner to buffer from the loneliness.

Hashmi, Khurshid and Hassan (2007) studied the effect occupation on marital adjustment, stress and depression among married women. Results indicated highly significant relationship between marital adjustment, depression and stress. The findings of the results also show that working married women have to face more problems in their married life as compared to non-working married women. Working women have to adjust with their dual role life to enhance the marriage quality.

Weserhof (2006) conducted a study on social provision and loneliness among married women in the second half of life. The representative sample of the study is 983 people age between 40 and 85. They found there is no much gender difference in loneliness. This study concluded that women use more social provisions from close relationship beyond the partner relation for alleviating loneliness. Women tend to exchange more emotional support with friends, children and other family members and identified that these persons are companying in leisure activities.

Dykstra (1995) examined the effect of marriage on loneliness among the never and formerly married. Sample involved 131 unpartnered men and women. Study found that being single is important determinant of loneliness along with absence of friendship support. In accordance with the theory of mental incongruity, relationship standards and perceived opportunities for improving relationships are also shown to be significantly associated with loneliness. A better understanding of loneliness is obtained if not only the quality of relationship is considered, but also the degree of congruity between relationships and relationship standards, and the favorability of perceived opportune.

Mullins and dugan (1990) conducted a study on the influence of depression, loneliness in family and friendship relations. Samples consist of 208 people. The study concluded that those who were less satisfied with the quality of their relationship and had less contact with close friends were lonelier. The person living with children, grandchildren, siblings or neighbors helps to alleviate loneliness.

A study conducted by Gove and Geerken (1977) on the effect of children and employment on the mental health of married men and women”. Sample for the study is 760 people including employed husband, wives and unemployed wives. Employed wives tend to feel lonely and unemployed wives are much more likely to feel lonely. Employed wives are least feel lonely when there are one or two children present, whereas unemployed wives are the most likely to feel lonely when there are one or two children present and the chance is more if the children are old or very young children. This study shows the importance of education and carrier of the women.

METHODOLOGY

Explanation of methodology is necessary to understand the significance of the work what the researcher has done and make sense of how it all worked. The methodology piece says why you did and what you did. This chapter describes the various tools used, appropriate method adopted for collecting data and the statistical techniques used for analyzing the data.

Research problem

Changes in the society are like any single alteration, modification, or transformation in the organization and operation of social activity. The advancement in the technology changed the structure of entire globe. This made different group of people to live together for the purpose of work or because of migration. Even though the technological advancement is captivating the country still India is a developing country. Unemployment is a major curse to developing country like India. Migration to the other states of the country or to the nations is one of the ways to find employment in most of the states of India.

Kerala is the only state in India that has 100 % of literacy rate, and it has the highest rate of migrated youth. Better job and prosperity in life tempts the youth for the migration to gulf countries.  Temporariness of the work or the high cost of living in the gulf countries made some of the emigrants to keep their family back home so that they can save money for the future. Effects of migration are clearly visible in huge buildings, modern household equipments, sophisticated electronic machineries, perfumes, stereos add to the comforts of the families of the migrants. Migration has a positive impact on GDP of the country but its psychological impact on their family is serious and requires attention. Women in the migrant’s households have to face their life alone in India. They have the huge responsibility of managing the family by themselves. This may cause in them tensions, pressures, conflicts and anxiety. Wives of expatriate husbands suffer from many psychological problems like isolation, depression, feeling unwanted, inability to adjust with others, restlessness, lack of confidence, feeling becoming dependent and feeling of loss of family life in the absence of their husbands at home(Iqbal et al., 2014).  Joy in marital life is reduced to two-and-a-half months of joy in every two years for the wives and the children hardly get to know their fathers during this period.

Quality of life means living a good life. It is the individuals’ perception of their life in the context of culture and value system in which they live in relation to the goals, expectations, standards and concerns (WHO year).

The above information show that wives of expatriate husband may not be enjoying their marital life as their husbands are away from them for a long period of time. The wives may perceive their life as dull with no joy, enjoyment and expectations. Thus they may not have a good quality of life. To confirms this, the researcher decided to the relationship between the marital satisfaction, loneliness and quality of life of wives of expatriate husband.

Objective

The main objective of this study is to examine the relationship between the marital satisfaction, loneliness and quality of life of wives of expatriate husband.

Variables

The independent variables of the study are marital satisfaction and loneliness, the dependent variable is quality of life. The demographic variables include in the study are age, educational qualification, year of marriage, and frequency of husband’s visit.

Hypotheses

1. There will be a significant relationship between marital satisfaction, loneliness and quality of life of wives of expatriate husband.
2. Wives of expatriate husbands will differ significantly in marital satisfaction based on their years of marriage.
3. Wives of expatriate husbands will differ significantly in their marital satisfaction based on their educational qualification.
4. Wives of expatriate husbands will differ significantly in their marital satisfaction based on the frequency of husband’s visit.
5. Wives of expatriate husbands will differ significantly in loneliness based on years of marriage.
6. Wives of expatriate husbands will differ significantly in loneliness based on educational qualification.
7. Wives of expatriate husbands will differ significantly in loneliness based on the frequency of husband’s visit.
8. Wives of expatriate husbands will differ significantly in quality of life based on their educational qualification.
9. Wives of expatriate husbands will differ significantly in quality of life based on years of marriage.
10. Wives of expatriate husbands will differ significantly in quality of life based on duration of couples meeting.
11.  Marital satisfaction and loneliness will have significant influence on quality of life of wives of expatriate husbands.

Sample

The population of the study was wives of expatriate husband. In Kerala more than 70% of migrants are married. A sample of 267 wives of expatriate husband was selected using snowball sampling technique. Out of 267 data some of the data were incomplete; therefore for the final analysis 243 data were considered.

Distribution of sample

Demographical variable		N	Percentage (%)
Educational qualification	Upto +2	156	64.2
	Higher education	87	35.8
Years of marriage	20 years	180	74.1
	More than 20 year	63	25.9
Family type	Joint family	111	45.7
	Nuclear family	132	54.3
Frequency of husband’s visit	Once in 6 month	87	35.8
	Once in a year	92	37.9
	Once in two year	64	26.3

 

Tools-used

1. Quality of Life Scale (QOLS)

2. Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI-16)

3. Revised UCLA loneliness scale.

Tools description  

Quality of Life Scale (QOLS)

Quality of Life Scale (QOLS)was developed by John Flanagan in (1970). It is a 15-item scale, used to measure the quality of life of healthy adults and chronically ill people. It has 5 conceptual domains which are physical and material well being, relationships with other people, social and civic activities, personal development, and recreation.

Administration

Instructions were given as follows. Please read each item and circle the number that best describes how satisfied you are at this time. There are 7 response categories, viz. delighted, pleased, mostly satisfied, mixed, mostly dissatisfied, unhappy and terrible. This is a survey and not a test. Do not spend too much time on a particular item. Please answer each item

Scoring

The scale is scored by summing responses to each item. Scores can range from 15 to 112. Higher score indicates higher quality of life.

The following scoring pattern was used to score the responses.

Responses	Scores
Delighted	7
Pleased	6
Mostly satisfied	5
Mixed	4
Mostly dissatisfied	3
Unhappy	2
Terrible	1

Conceptual domains are

Conceptual Category	Item
Physical and Material Well-being	1,2
Relations with other People	3,4,5,6
Social, Community, and Civic Activities	7,8
Personal Development and Fulfillment	9,10,11,12
Recreation	13,14,15

Reliability and validity

The reliability and validity of the scale were established through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient method. The Cronbach’s alpha of the scale is varying between 0.82 and 0.92. Test-retest reliability of the scale is between r = 0.78 to r = 0 .84. The validity of the scale also has been reported as high.

Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI-16)

Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI-16) was developed by Funk & Rogge (2006). It is a 16-item scale designed to measure one’s satisfaction in a relationship, with the 5 possible responses ranging from never  (1), rarely (2), occasionally (3), most of the time (4) , all the time (5).

Administration

Instructions were given as follows, “Please read each item and circle the number that best describes how you are at this time. Indicate the degree of happiness, all things considered, of your relationship. There are five response categories, viz. never, rarely, occasionally, most of the time and all the time. This is a survey and not a test. Do not spend too much time on a particular item. Please answer each item

Scoring

The scale is scored by summing responses to each item. Scores can range from 0 to 81. Higher scores indicate higher levels of relationship satisfaction. Scores falling below 51.5 suggest notable relationship dissatisfaction.

Reliability and validity

The reliability and validity of the scale were evaluated by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient method. The Cronbach’s alpha of the scale is 0 .94. The validity of the scale also has been reported as high.

Revised UCLA loneliness scale

Revised UCLA loneliness scale (1980) developed at the California University published by Russell, D, Peplau, L. A. & Ferguson, M. L. (1978). A 20-item scale designed to measure one’s subjective feelings of loneliness as well as feelings of social isolation with the five possible responses ranging from 1 (Never), 2 (rarely), 3 (sometime), 4 (Often).

Administration

Instructions were given as follows. Please read each item and circle the number that best describes how you are at this time. Indicate how often each of the statements below is descriptive of you by ticking up the five possible responses are given such as 1 (Never), 2 (rarely), 3 (sometime), 4 (Often).

Scoring

The scale is scored by summing responses. Items 1, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 16, 19, 20 are all reverse scored. Higher scores indicate higher levels of loneliness. Scores between 15 and 20 are considered a normal experience of loneliness. Scores above 30 indicate a person is experiencing severe loneliness.

Responses	Scores for
	Positive	Negative
Never	1	4
Rarely	2	3
Sometime	3	2
Often	4	1

Reliability and validity

The reliability and validity of the scale were established through Cronbach’s alpha coefficient method. The Cronbach’s alpha of the scale is 0.96.               The measure has high internal consistency and a test-retest correlation over a two-month period of 0.73. The validity of the scale also has been reported as high.

Pilot study

A pilot test study was conducted using 40 wives of expatriate husband from Shornoor, Kerala. The participants involved in the pilot study were not included in the main study. Quality Of Life Scale (QOLS), Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI) and UCLA loneliness scale were administered to 40 participants to check the feasibility of research and also reliability analysis of the pilot data for quality of life was 0.74, Couples Satisfaction Index (CSI) was 0.72 and UCLA loneliness scale was 0.74.

 

 

Statistical techniques

The statistical techniques used for analysis of data in this study are spearman correlation, Wilcoxan signed rank test, Kruskal wallis test and chisquare. The data were analyzed using SPSS 20 version.