A Proposed Model to Investigate the Impact of Moral Intelligence and Early Maladaptive Schemas on Emotional Divorce Regarding the Mediating Role of Marital Burnout in Women Referring to Psychological Centers, Ahvaz, Iran

Appropriate relationships in society are shaped based on healthy and intimate rapports in families. Divorce is regarded as one of the most important sources of damage to families and marriages. This study aimed to design and test a model to investigate the effect of moral intelligence and early maladaptive schemas on emotional divorce considering the mediating role of marital burnout in women referring to psychological centers in Ahvaz, Iran.

The statistical population of this descriptive-correlational study included all the women referring to psychological centers in Ahvaz, Iran, during 2019. In total, 264 individuals were selected using the convenience sampling method. The data were collected using an emotional divorce questionnaire, moral intelligence scale, early maladaptive schemas, and marital burnout questionnaire. Furthermore, the proposed model was evaluated using a path analysis method. A bootstrap test was utilized to test the indirect relationships. Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis through AMOS software were employed to examine the relationships among the variables.

The results of this study showed the significance of all direct paths of the early maladaptive schemas with emotional divorce. Indirect pathways were also significant through marital burnout with emotional divorce (P<0.001).

The proposed model indicated an acceptable fit level and was regarded as an important step in recognizing the effective factors in the emotional divorce of women. Moreover, it can be useful as a model to develop stress management programs and control increased emotional divorce among women.