Psychological, Social, and Religious Factors Influencing Divorce among Christian Couples in Sub-Saharan Africa

Divorce among Christian couples in Sub-Saharan Africa remains an important social, psychological, and pastoral concern despite Christian teachings that emphasize marital commitment and family stability. This study systematically reviewed psychological, social, and religious factors associated with divorce and marital instability among Christian couples in the region. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) 2020 framework, the review considered English-language scholarly studies published between 2020 and 2026 and identified through Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, JSTOR, ScienceDirect, African Journals Online, publisher platforms, and institutional repositories. The synthesis indicates that psychological difficulties including poor communication, unresolved conflict, emotional dysregulation, infidelity, and low relational intimacy interact with social pressures such as economic strain, intimate partner violence, fertility and child-preference pressures, changing family structures, and rapid social transition. Religious factors operate in both protective and challenging ways: structured premarital and marital counseling, shared spiritual commitment, and responsive pastoral care can strengthen relationships, whereas weak counseling structures, inadequate safeguarding, and rigid responses to abuse can intensify marital distress. The review concludes that marital instability among Christian couples in Sub-Saharan Africa is multidimensional and requires coordinated interventions by churches, professional counselors, families, social protection institutions, and policymakers. It recommends stronger evidence-based premarital and post-marital counseling, safeguarding and referral systems, socio-economic and violence-prevention support, and context-sensitive research on changing marital dynamics.