Structural model of marital satisfaction based on attachment styles and early maladaptive schemas with mediation of sensation seeking

The aim was to determine the relationship between marital satisfaction based on attachment styles and early maladaptive schemas with mediation of sensation seeking and providing a structural model for it.

Method was correlation and the statistical population consisted of all married women referring to Health Centers in Tehran City in 2018; overally, 1854 individuals. Using multi-stage random sampling, Tehran was first divided into four regions: North, West, East and South and the North region, was selected randomly. From 23 districts, four quarters of Azgol, Araj, Niavaran and Bagh Ferdows of Districts 1 and 2, and 88 women from each Health Center were selected based on Power Sample software. Then, Enrich Marriage Satisfaction Questionnaire (1989), Collins and Reed (1990) Adult Attachment Questionnaire, Early Maladaptive Schemas (Yang, 1988), and Zuckerman Excitement Questionnaire (1978) were completed. Data were analyzed using structural equation of Smart Pls.

Results at 99% level of confidence showed that structural model can predict Marital satisfaction based on attachment style (β=-0.624) and early maladaptive schemas (β=- 0.693) with mediation of sensation seeking and it has a goodness of fit. Direct path of attachment style (β=0.653), early maladaptive schemas style (β=- 0.731) and sensation seeking (β=0.594) on marital satisfaction are Significant and indirect path results showed that attachment styles (β=0.532) and early maladaptive schemas (β=-0.561) with mediation of Sensation Seeking on marital satisfaction had a good effect size.

Recognition of each couple’s emotions, early maladaptive schemas, their types of attachment styles, and confrontation of their intra-psychological elements, improves satisfactory level of marital relationship.