نقش اضطراب و تعارض نقش ها در ارتباط با رضایت زناشویی، با میانجیگری انسجام خانوادگی در زنان متاهل

Objective: Marital satisfaction, defined as an individual's subjective evaluation of the happiness, fulfillment, and quality within their marital relationship, is a cornerstone of family stability and overall well-being. Extensive research has linked high marital satisfaction to positive outcomes such as better physical and mental health, effective parenting, and resilience against life stressors. Conversely, low marital satisfaction is associated with increased risk of depression, anxiety, domestic discord, and emotional divorce. While the individual impacts of psychological distress and social pressures on marriage are well-documented, the intricate interplay between these factors within the broader family system requires further exploration. Specifically, the mechanisms through which personal anxiety and the structural challenges of role conflicts influence marital quality are complex and potentially indirect. This study was conducted with the primary objective of investigating the relationship between anxiety and role conflicts on marital satisfaction, with a specific focus on examining the mediating role of family cohesion in a sample of married women. The central hypothesis was that anxiety and role conflict would exert significant indirect effects on marital satisfaction by impacting the level of cohesion and solidarity within the family unit.

Methodology: This research adopted a descriptive-correlational design, which is appropriate for examining the relationships among multiple variables and testing a hypothesized mediation model. The statistical population included all married women residing in the city of Meybod, Iran, during the year 2024. To ensure an adequate sample size for structural equation modeling (SEM), which requires larger samples for stable parameter estimates, a total of 300 participants were selected. Data collection was conducted using an online survey platform. Four standardized and validated instruments were employed: the 25-item ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale (Olson, 1992) to measure the dependent variable; the 21-item Beck Anxiety Inventory (Beck, 1988) to assess the severity of anxiety symptoms; the 8-item Role Conflict Questionnaire (Rizzo et al., 1970) to measure the degree of conflict experienced from incompatible role expectations; and the 13-item Family Cohesion Scale (Fisher, 1992) to evaluate the level of emotional bonding, support, and unity within the family. Data analysis was performed using SPSS for descriptive statistics and preliminary correlation analysis, and AMOS software was used to conduct structural equation modeling to test the hypothesized direct and indirect pathways.

Results: Preliminary analysis using the Pearson correlation coefficient revealed significant relationships among the main variables. As expected, marital satisfaction was positively correlated with family cohesion (r = 0.273, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with both anxiety (r = -0.127, p < 0.05) and role conflict (r = -0.587, p < 0.01). Furthermore, family cohesion was negatively correlated with both anxiety (r = -0.211, p < 0.01) and role conflict (r = -0.191, p < 0.01), suggesting that higher distress and role pressure are associated with weaker family bonds. The primary analysis using SEM provided key insights into the nature of these relationships. Firstly, the direct paths from anxiety to marital satisfaction (β = -0.096, p = 0.257) and from role conflict to marital satisfaction (β = 0.078, p = 0.160) were found to be statistically non-significant in the full model. This indicates that these variables do not have a straightforward, direct linear impact on marital satisfaction when other factors are considered. However, significant direct effects were found for the paths to the mediator. Anxiety had a significant negative effect on family cohesion (β = -0.247, p < 0.001), and role conflict also had a significant negative effect on family cohesion (β = -0.217, p < 0.001). This confirms that higher levels of anxiety and greater role conflict are associated with lower levels of cohesion within the family. In turn, family cohesion had a strong, significant positive direct effect on marital satisfaction (β = 0.294, p < 0.001), affirming that more cohesive families report higher marital quality. The most critical findings emerged from the mediation analysis. The indirect effect of anxiety on marital satisfaction through family cohesion was significant and negative (β = -0.073, p < 0.01, 95% CI [-0.152, -0.030]). Similarly, the indirect effect of role conflict on marital satisfaction through family cohesion was significant and negative (β = -0.064, p < 0.01, 95% CI [-0.125, -0.033]). As the direct effects were non-significant while the indirect effects were significant, this pattern indicates that family cohesion acts as a full mediator in both relationships. The final structural model demonstrated an excellent fit to the data, with all fit indices well within the acceptable ranges (χ²/df = 2.694, RMSEA = 0.074, CFI = 0.979, GFI = 0.974, NFI = 0.972), thereby validating the robustness of the findings.

Conclusion: This study provides compelling evidence that the adverse impacts of anxiety and role conflicts on marital satisfaction are not primarily direct but are instead fully mediated by family cohesion. The findings suggest that anxiety and incompatible role pressures erode the quality of marital life by weakening the foundational fabric of the family—its cohesion, emotional support, and sense of unity. When family cohesion is low, the resources necessary to buffer individual stress and manage external pressures are diminished, thereby paving the way for marital dissatisfaction. Conversely, a highly cohesive family environment can act as a powerful protective shield, absorbing the shocks of individual anxiety and role strain and preventing them from significantly damaging the marital relationship. These results are consistent with family systems theory and Olson's Circumplex Model, which identify balanced cohesion as crucial for healthy family functioning. The practical implications of this study are significant for mental health professionals. Interventions aimed at improving marital satisfaction should move beyond an exclusive focus on reducing individual anxiety symptoms or resolving specific role conflicts. Instead, a more effective approach would involve strengthening the overall cohesion of the family system by enhancing emotional bonds, improving communication, and fostering mutual support. Workshops and therapeutic programs designed to build these cohesive qualities can equip families with the resilience needed to navigate the inevitable stresses of modern life, thereby safeguarding and enhancing marital satisfaction in the long term.