Communication Breakdown Before Divorce: Post-Divorce Accounts of Malay Women in Terengganu, Malaysia

Nuruaslizawati Ayob, Siti Hajar Abdul Rauf, Daleleer Kaur Randawar

Abstract


Communication breakdown is widely associated with marital dissatisfaction and divorce, yet little qualitative research has traced how it develops over time through the retrospective accounts of divorced Malay Muslim women. This study
examined how communication deteriorated throughout marriage and contributed to marital dissolution among 32 divorced Malay women in Terengganu, Malaysia. An interpretive phenomenological design was used, with participants recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Semi-structured interviews were analysed thematically with the support of ATLAS.ti 23. Six interconnected patterns were identified: the erosion of reciprocal communication, passive and avoidant interaction, unresolved conflict, third-party interference, controlling and defensive exchanges, and communication increasingly confined to financial matters. These patterns did not operate independently. Repeated withdrawal, failed attempts at resolution, and narrowing forms of dialogue gradually weakened emotional intimacy, trust, and joint problem-solving. The analysis therefore positions communication
breakdown as a cumulative relational process rather than a discrete cause of divorce. Drawing on Dynamic Systems Theory and Social Learning Theory, the study explains how dysfunctional interaction patterns became stabilised and reinforced over time. It also proposes a culturally grounded psychoeducational model centred on communication skills, emotional regulation, collaborative decision-making, and conflict resolution.


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