Journal of Education and Health Promotion

Abstract BACKGROUND: Marital satisfaction is a complex of feelings, which includes pleasure, satisfaction,
and pleasure experienced by the husband or wife in all aspects of marriage, and it is an important
part of individual health, especially mental health. This qualitative study was conducted to understand
marital satisfaction using grounded theory on couples.
MATERIALS AND METHODS: This qualitative study was implemented using grounded theory based
on Corbin and Strauss, 2008, to investigate the process of marital satisfaction formation among
couples from 2014 to 2016. The sampling was started as purposeful and continued as theoretical. The
data were obtained using semi‑structured interviews. 28 interviews were taken from 25 participants;
MAXQDA software was used to facilitate the organization of classes and subclasses.
RESULTS: The central variable of this study was called “toward a relaxing evolution.” On that
account, the main classes included “supportive companionship” and “responsible love,” and variables
of “personality traits,” “interactive relationships,” “economic status,” “passage of time,” and “present
resources in society” provided the basis for the formation of marital satisfaction.
CONCLUSION: To achieve marital satisfaction, couples should set their family’s ultimate goal toward
achieving a relaxing evolution for the entire family, and they should accompany each other in order
to achieve that goal. This sometimes requires sacrifice and forgiveness to achieve the ultimate goal
of the family.

Abstract BACKGROUND: The aim of this qualitative study was to explore if the presence of a child in the
family was an opportunity or threat to the marital life.
METHODS: In this common qualitative content analysis, semi‑structured interviews with 20
participants were conducted. All of the interviews were recorded and then transcribed. The data
were categorized, and the main themes and sub‑themes were extracted.
RESULTS: Twenty transcription were analysed. The data analysis led to the development of the first
theme of “feeling evolution” with the category of “flourishing the motherhood sense,” and the second
theme of “strengthening the marital life” with the two categories of “the marital life stabilization” and
“efforts for a common goal.”
CONCLUSIONS: The presence of the child can lead to the feeling of development and stabilizing
the marital life. Furthermore, the presence of the child can facilitate or hinder marital satisfaction.
Given the challenges due to a lack of preparation of parents for childbirth, consultation and support
by family members or the society can help with adaptation with this life period and increasing the
positive effects of the presence of the child on parents’ relationships and marital satisfaction.