. Khodabakhsh Ahmadi; . Majid Rezazade; . Hassan Saadat; . Seyed Ali Kimiaei; . Nima Hoseyn Zade
Volume 5, Issue 3 , May 2015, , Pages 1-8
Abstract
Aims: In the field of family research, previous studies have made great strides towardunderstanding the relationship between marital conflict and quality. However, they haveonly studied ...
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Aims: In the field of family research, previous studies have made great strides towardunderstanding the relationship between marital conflict and quality. However, they haveonly studied couples in short‑term marriages. Therefore, much remains to be unraveled withregard to long‑term marriages. We aimed investigate the comparative contribution of aspectsof marital conflict to marital quality in short‑and long‑term marriages in Iranian families.Materials and Methods: Using random clustered sampling, 400 dyads in intact first marriageswere surveyed across eight provinces of Iran. Complete surveys for both husbands and wiveswere returned for 162 households (couple’s response rate: 40.5%). Survey measures includeddemographics questionnaire, Barati and Sanai’s Marital Conflict Questionnaire and Blumand Mehrabian’s Comprehensive Marital Satisfaction Scale. Structural equation modelingwas used to test the actor‑partner interdependence model of marital conflict‑marital quality.Results: Generalized additive models were incorporated to define what constitutes short‑andlong‑term marriages. Based on the models regressed, duration ≤ 10 years was defined asshort‑term, whereas duration ≥ 25 years was labeled long‑term. In short‑term marriages (n = 44),decreased sexual relations, increased daily hassles and sidedness in relations with parents werenegatively associated with marital quality in both actor and actor‑to‑partner paths. In long‑termmarried couples (n = 46), only increased daily hassles (P < 0.001) and disagreement overfinancial affairs (P = 0.005) contributed to actor paths and only sidedness in relationships withparents showed significant negative association to marital quality in actor‑to‑partner paths.Conclusions: Different themes of conflict contribute to the diminished level of marital qualityin early and late stages of the marriage. Conflicts over sex, relationship with extended familyand daily hassles are emphasized in the earlyyears of marriage, while in later years; disputeover money and daily hassles dominate.