A Structural Model of Emotional Divorce in 25-45 Years Old Married Individuals Based on Relational Maintenance Strategies with the Mediating Role of Marital Happiness and Perceived Stress Reactivity

Khademi Kalantari , Mahbanoo; Farghadani , Azadeh

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Khademi Kalantari M, Farghadani A. A Structural Model of Emotional Divorce in 25-45 Years Old Married Individuals Based on Relational Maintenance Strategies with the Mediating Role of Marital Happiness and Perceived Stress Reactivity. MEJDS 2024; 14 :145-145
URL: http://jdisabilstud.org/article-1-3495-en.html

A Structural Model of Emotional Divorce in 25-45 Years Old Married Individuals Based on Relational Maintenance Strategies with the Mediating Role of Marital Happiness and Perceived Stress Reactivity

Mahbanoo Khademi Kalantari¹

, Azadeh Farghadani ^*²

1- MA in General Psychology, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Saveh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran
2- Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities, Saveh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran

Abstract: (309 Views)

Abstract
Background & Objectives: Emotional divorce necessitates a deeper understanding of its underlying factors and the development of strategies to mitigate its impacts. Relational maintenance strategies encompass strategies employed to sustain and enhance the quality of couple bonds. These strategies include assurance, openness, positivity, social networks, shared tasks, advice, and conflict management. Happiness is considered one of the essential concepts in the field of positive psychology. In this context, marital happiness is a positive emotion experienced by spouses regarding their satisfaction with the marital relationship. A reaction to perceived stress can sometimes have a more profound effect on an individual's well–being and interpersonal relationships than the stressor. The present study was conducted to develop a structural model of emotional divorce in married individuals based on relational maintenance strategies and with the mediating role of marital happiness and perceived stress reactivity. Obtaining a profound insight into the nature of these interactions can be crucial for designing interventions to improve marital satisfaction and reduce the likelihood of emotional divorce.
Methods: The current research method was descriptive–analytical of structural equation modeling type. The statistical population of the research included all married men and women referring to the Comprehensive Health Guidance Center of Tehran City District 1 in 2022. They were 25–45 years old, and at least 1 year passed of cohabitation. Using the convenience sampling method, 268 individuals were selected as the sample from this population. The inclusion criteria included being married, having been married for at least one year, having at least a high school diploma, and being between 25 and 45 years old. The exclusion criterion was not completing the questionnaire link. To comply with ethical standards, at the beginning of the questionnaire link, feedback was given to the subjects regarding the subjects' consent and informed participation in a research project and the confidentiality of the responses. To respect privacy, the participants' names and surnames were not recorded. The research tools included the Emotional Divorce Questionnaire (Mohammadi et al., 2016), the Marital Relational Maintenance Strategies Measure (Stafford, 2011), the Marital Happiness Scale (Azrin et al., 1973), and the Perceived Stress Reactivity Scale (Shultz et al., 2011). The conceptual model was examined using structural equation modeling (SEM). Research data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, skewness, and kurtosis) and inferential statistics (the Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling) in SPSS version 24 and AMOS version 26 software at a significance level of 0.05.
Results: The goodness of fit indices of the model reveals that the proposed model has a good fit (χ²/df=1.88, RMSEA=0.057, GFI=0.905, AGFI=0.853, and CFI=0.942). The results demonstrate that the direct effect of marital happiness (β=–0.331, p<0.001) and the overall effect of marital relational maintenance strategies (β=–0.509, p<0.001) on emotional divorce was negative and significant. Perceived stress reactivity also positively and significantly affects emotional divorce (β=0.485, p<0.001). The indirect path coefficient between marital relationship maintenance strategies and emotional divorce was negative and significant (p<0.001, β=–0.443). Regarding the mediating role of variables, the indirect effect of marital relational maintenance strategies on emotional divorce through marital happiness (β=0.191, p<0.001) was negative and significant. The indirect effect of marital relational maintenance strategies on emotional divorce through perceived stress reactivity (β=0.245, p<0.001) was also negative and significant.
Conclusion: Marital relational maintenance strategies reduce emotional divorce by increasing marital happiness and decreasing Perceived stress reactivity.

Keywords: Emotional divorce, Relationship maintenance, Marital happiness, Perceived stress

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Type of Study: Original Research Article | Subject: Counseling

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