The mediating role of triangulation with children in the relationship between attachment style and marital relationship quality in conflicted couples

  Marital relationship quality is a very important aspect in the relationship of couples and plays an important role in marital conflicts. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the mediating role of triangulation with children in the relationship between attachment style and marital relationship quality.  The research method was descriptive, which was carried out in the form of path analysis. In order to conduct this research, 180 married people were selected from the counseling centers of Ardakan city by simple random sampling and the research tools included marital relationship quality questionnaire, adult attachment style scale and triangulation questionnaire. They answered the collected data were analyzed through AMOS software. The results of the research showed that ambivalent and avoidant attachment styles have a positive and significant relationship with triangulation and triangulation also has a negative and significant relationship with the marital relationship quality. Also, secure (0.567), ambivalent (-0.454)  and avoidant (-0.433) attachment style have a significant relationship with the marital relationship quality. The results of investigating indirect relationships also indicated that the mediating role of triangulation with children was significant in the relationship between avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles with marital relationship quality. attachment style can affect the quality of marital relationship in conflicted couples by influencing triangulation with children. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to the underlying factors of psychological separation between couples.