A Structural Model of Relationship between Self- Efficacy in Romantic Relationships and Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Relationship Maintenance Behaviours

This study aimed to determine fitness of the structural model of the relationship between self-efficacy in romantic relationship and marital satisfaction with regard to the mediating role of relationship maintenance behaviors. The research design was correlational study-structural equation modeling. 200 married-female teachers among elementary schools were selected using multi-stage random sampling method from regions 1 and 3 of Ahvaz city, and responded to the Self-efficacy in Romantic Relationships Scale (Riggio, Weiser, Valenzuela, Lui, Montes, & Heuer, 2011) Relational Maintenance Strategy Measure (Canary, & Stafford, 1992), and Marital Satisfaction Scale (Rajabi, 2010). The data were analyzed using structural equations modeling. The results showed that all of the model fitness indices were appropriate. The path coefficients of self-efficacy in romantic relationship to relationship maintenance strategies and the relationship maintenance strategies to marital satisfaction were significant. But the path of self-efficacy in romantic relationship to marital satisfaction was not significant. Also, relationship maintenance strategies had a mediation role in the relationship between self-efficacy in romantic relationship and marital satisfaction. Based on the findings of this study, it seems that people who have high self-efficacy in romantic relationship due to the use of relationship maintenance strategies experience more marital satisfaction