Situations Activating Trust and Mistrust towards the Spouse among Iranian Married Couples

Trust affects success and stability of a marriage. The aim of this research is to study situations activating trust and mistrust towards the spouse among Iranian married couples. The data was gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire which included open-ended questions. Thematic analysis was used for analyzing the data. 163 married people were chosen using the availability sampling and the questionnaires were filled online. The data were analyzed using Brown and Clark method.  Finally, three main themes, ten themes and fifteen sub-themes were extracted. Each theme is described by a spectrum with two ends indicating trust and mistrust. The main themes are: individual traits of the spouse, relationship traits of the couple, and the relationship of the souse with the outside world. The results of this study offered a comprehensive picture of the factors stabilizing and destroying trust among couples. These findings can be used in preventative interventions for premarital educations and promoting the quality of the couples’ relationships.