پیش‌بینی گرایش به خیانت زناشویی و طلاق عاطفی بر اساس ضربه عشق و خودکارآمدی جنسی و خیالپردازی‌های جنسی صمیمانه و اکتشافی

Introduction

Marriage, as the most fundamental human relationship, shapes the process of psychological and familial development through constructive interactions (Mohagheghi & Roshanaei, 2023). However, contemporary couples often face challenges in establishing communication and achieving marital satisfaction (Ramzanifar et al., 2021). Significant threats to marital fidelity and bond include marital infidelity and emotional divorce (Mohagheghi & Roshanaei, 2022). Marital infidelity, as a common and damaging event, leads to individual consequences (such as depression and reduced self-esteem) and familial ones (such as divorce and weakened parenting) (Sharifi et al., 2024; Shackelford, 2003). Emotional divorce, also known as "silent divorce," refers to living under the same roof with emotional distance and is considered a painful social phenomenon (Omidpour et al., 2024; Rashidi et al., 2022).

Research indicates that several psychological factors can play a role in the tendency towards these harms. Among these factors is sexual self-efficacy (one's belief in their sexual performance), which has a significant relationship with marital satisfaction (Zare Derakhshan & Roshan Chesli, 2020). Another factor is love trauma, which refers to the set of severe symptoms following the collapse of a romantic relationship and can impair an individual's functioning (Rosse, 1999; Wilson et al., 2005). Furthermore, sexual fantasies (arousing mental images) in two types, intimate and exploratory, can reflect an individual's psychological functioning (Mohammadpour Doughabadi et al., 2021; Edwards, 2017).

Although research has been conducted on the relationship between sexual satisfaction and quality of life with infidelity (Morvati, 2021; Ghaffarian-Roohparvar et al., 2017), the simultaneous role of sexual self-efficacy, love trauma, and sexual fantasies in predicting the tendency towards marital infidelity and emotional divorce has not been directly investigated. Therefore, this study seeks to examine the possibility of predicting the tendency towards these two harms based on the mentioned variables.

Method

This research was conducted using a descriptive-correlational method. The statistical population consisted of all married residents of Hamadan in the years 2023-2024. Using convenience sampling and based on Plant's formula (Tabachnick & Fidell, 2007; cited in Hashemi & Khanzadi, 2023), 300 individuals (130 men and 170 women) were selected as the sample. Inclusion criteria included informed consent, age over 20, no history of psychiatric hospitalization, no addiction to drugs or alcohol, and no request for divorce in the past year.

After obtaining necessary permits, data were collected in the field by distributing printed questionnaires on tendency to marital infidelity, emotional divorce, love trauma, sexual self-efficacy, and sexual fantasies in public places. Out of 312 distributed questionnaires, 300 complete questionnaires were entered into the final analysis. Adherence to ethical principles, including confidentiality and the right to withdraw, was emphasized. Data were analyzed using SPSS-26 software, employing descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression.

Findings

Findings based on the analysis of data from 300 married participants (130 men and 170 women) in Hamadan showed that the statistical assumptions of regression (normality, independence of errors, absence of multicollinearity, and homogeneity of variances) were met.

Love trauma had a significant negative correlation with sexual self-efficacy (p<.01, r=-0.27) and intimate sexual fantasy (p<.01, r=-0.47), and a significant positive correlation with tendency to marital infidelity (p<.01, r=0.36), exploratory sexual fantasy (p<.01, r=0.44), and emotional divorce (p<.01, r=0.46). Sexual self-efficacy also had a significant negative correlation with tendency to marital infidelity (p<.01, r=-0.29), exploratory sexual fantasy (p<.01, r=-0.44), and emotional divorce (p<.01, r=-0.45), and a significant positive correlation with intimate sexual fantasy (p<.01, r=0.42). Intimate sexual fantasy had a significant negative correlation with exploratory sexual fantasy (p<.01, r=-0.44), tendency to marital infidelity (p<.01, r=-0.66), and emotional divorce (p<.01, r=-0.44). Exploratory sexual fantasy had a significant positive correlation with tendency to marital infidelity (p<.01, r=0.68) and emotional divorce (p<.01, r=0.55). Tendency to marital infidelity had a significant positive correlation with emotional divorce (p<.01, r=0.74).

Results of simultaneous multiple regression revealed that love trauma and exploratory sexual fantasy were positive predictors (with beta coefficients of 0.26 and 0.35, respectively), while sexual self-efficacy and intimate sexual fantasy were negative predictors (with beta coefficients of -0.19 and -0.31, respectively) of the tendency to marital infidelity. Furthermore, love trauma and exploratory sexual fantasy were positive predictors (with beta coefficients of 0.16 and 0.33, respectively), while sexual self-efficacy and intimate sexual fantasy were negative predictors (with beta coefficients of -0.17 and -0.15, respectively) of emotional divorce.

Conclusion

The findings of this study indicate that love trauma, sexual self-efficacy, and types of sexual fantasy (intimate and exploratory) play a determining role in predicting the tendency towards marital infidelity and emotional divorce. Specifically, experiencing love trauma and engagement with exploratory sexual fantasies (imagining relationships with individuals other than the spouse) act as risk factors and increase the tendency towards these harms. In contrast, an individual's belief in their sexual efficacy (sexual self-efficacy) and the focus of sexual fantasies on the relationship with the spouse (intimate sexual fantasy) serve as protective factors, reducing the tendency towards infidelity and emotional distancing. These relational patterns are consistent with the results of previous domestic and international studies.

Given these findings, designing and implementing educational and interventional programs for couples seems essential. These programs should be developed with the aim of enhancing communication and sexual skills, increasing sexual self-efficacy, managing emotions arising from emotional trauma, and healthily directing sexual imaginations towards intimacy in the relationship. Such preventive measures can be effective in reducing harms like infidelity and emotional divorce by strengthening the emotional and functional foundations of marriage. However, the generalizability of these results requires caution due to limitations such as sampling from one city and the use of self-report methods.