Structural model of the relationship between marital satisfaction, cognitive moral foundations and marital commitment

Marriage is the most important decision of an individual's life; and marriage satisfaction is also the main determinant of quality of life and mental health. Many researchers have tried to identify the factors affecting marital satisfaction and determine the relationships between them. The aim of this study was to investigate the fit of the structural model of the relationship between marital satisfaction, cognitive-moral foundations and marital commitment. The research method was descriptive-correlational by using structural equation modeling method. The statistical population was married men and women in Tehran. A sample of 230 people (122 females and 108 males) were selected by convenience sampling method. The instruments used included the Marital Commitment Questionnaire (Adams & Jones, 1997), the Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ30) (Haidt, Graham, 2007), and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire (Olson et al., 1989). Data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling by using SPSS-21 and PLS-3 software. The results of structural equation modeling revealed that the model of relationship between marital satisfaction, marital commitment and moral foundations had a good fit. According to the results, higher levels of commitment and positive moral values could predicted the higher levels of marital satisfaction. The mediating role of marital commitment between the moral foundations of careing, loyalty, and sanctity with marital satisfaction was also confirmed. These results have practical implications for the design and implementation of psychological interventions for marital problems and by targeting moral foundations can promote the marital commitment and satisfaction.