Infidelity, Trust Issues, and Marital Breakdown among Christian Couples in Modern Society: A Systematic Review

Marriage remains one of the most important social and spiritual institutions within Christianity, yet modern society continues to witness increasing rates of infidelity, trust issues, marital dissatisfaction, and relational breakdown among Christian couples. This study conducted a systematic review on infidelity, trust issues, and marital breakdown among Christian couples in modern society. The study aimed to examine the major forms and causes of infidelity, assess the effects of trust issues on marital stability, identify the social, emotional, psychological, and spiritual factors contributing to marital breakdown, and examine intervention strategies for healing and trust rebuilding among Christian couples. The study adopted a systematic review methodology guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses framework. Relevant literature was retrieved from scholarly databases including Google Scholar, PubMed, JSTOR, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and ResearchGate. The review focused on peer-reviewed studies published between 2020 and 2026. Findings revealed that emotional neglect, poor communication, pornography use, social media interactions, financial stress, attachment insecurity, unresolved conflicts, and declining spiritual commitment are major contributors to infidelity and marital instability among Christian couples. The study further found that trust violation significantly affects emotional intimacy, communication quality, psychological well-being, and marital satisfaction. The review additionally established that counseling, forgiveness, emotional support, spiritual practices, communication rebuilding, and behavioral accountability are essential for successful marital restoration and trust rebuilding. The study concludes that infidelity and trust issues among Christian couples are multidimensional challenges requiring integrated emotional, psychological, relational, and spiritual interventions to strengthen marital stability and family well-being in modern society.