Husband-Wife Interaction, Verbal Communication, and Subjective Well-Being in Fishermen's Families on the South Coast, West Java, Indonesia

Abstract

Fishermen's families on the south coast of West Java live in an environment influenced by economic uncertainty and challenging natural conditions. Effective husband-wife interaction and verbal communication are key to shaping their subjective well-being amidst the pressures of life they face. This study aims to analyse the correlation between family characteristics, husband-wife interaction, and verbal communication on the subjective well-being of fishermen's families. The study was conducted in the coastal areas of Sukabumi, Pangandaran, and Garut, West Java, Indonesia. The study used a quantitative method with purposive sampling involving 228 fishermen's wives as respondents. Descriptive and correlation analyses were conducted in this study. The results showed that the wife's education and husband-wife interaction were significantly positively correlated with family subjective well-being, while verbal violence was significantly negatively correlated with family subjective well-being. Husband-wife interaction was significantly positively correlated with verbal affection and age of marriage, and negatively correlated with verbal violence. In addition, wife's education was significantly positively correlated with verbal violence. The implications of the study can be a basis for the government and local organizations in designing family empowerment programs that strengthen positive communication and interaction between husband and wife to improve the subjective well-being of fishermen's families.