Developing a Causal Model of Marital Burnout Based on Differentiation, Resilience, and Emotion Regulation

Among the factors affecting the rate of marital conflict reduction, we can mention marital burnout, i.e., directly and indirectly, impacted by various characteristics, such as resilience, differentiation, and emotion regulation in couples. Numerous psychologists and family therapists consider the quality of relationships between key family members as a critical factor in the success or failure of any marriage. Marital burnout is a general lack of care and love in a relationship, i.e., different from marital dissatisfaction. Marital burnout fades and sometimes completely disappears the love and affection between couples. The current study aimed to develop a causal model of marital burnout based on the degree of differentiation, resilience, and emotion regulation in couples with marital conflict.

The present descriptive–correlational study employed structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the study included all couples who were referred to the counseling centers of Gachsaran City, Iran, in 2019 with the complaint of marital conflict. The number of couples participating in counseling centers was estimated at approximately 1000–1200. Therefore, to select a research sample using the convenience sampling method, 300 couples referring to counseling centers were selected. After guiding the couples, they were dedicated adequate time to complete the research questionnaires. The inclusion criteria of the study include a high score of marital conflict among the samples according to the Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ; Sanaei & Barati, 2000); no substance abuse in neither spouse; no chronic mental disorders, and willingness to participate in the research. To collect the required data, we used the Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI) (Skowron & Friedlander, 1998), the Connor‐Davidson Resilience Scale (CD‐RISC; Connor & Davidson, 2003), the Affective Self–Regulation Strategies Scale (Larsen & Prizmic, 2004), the Marital Burnout Scale (Pines, 1996), and the MCQ. Descriptive statistics, including mean and standard deviation as well as, inferential statistical methods, such as Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling were used to analyze the collected data in SPSS and SmartPLS. A significance level of 0.05 was used for all statistical tests.

 The present research results suggested that the direct path coefficients between resilience and emotion regulation (p</em><0.001, β=0.63) as well as differentiation and emotion regulation (p</em><0.001, β=0.28) were significant and positive. Moreover, the path coefficients between resilience and marital burnout (p</em>= 0.009, β=–0.15), differentiation and marital burnout (p</em><0.001, β=–0.29), and emotion regulation and marital burnout (p</em><0.001, β=–0.48) were negative and significant. Additionally, the indirect effect of resilience on marital burnout (p</em><0.001, β=–0.30) and the indirect effect of differentiation on marital burnout (p</em><0.001, β=–0.13), with the mediating role of emotion regulation, was significant and negative. Besides, the goodness of fit indices supported the relatively good fit of the research model with the collected data (X2</sup>/df=3.13, CFI=0.91, GFI=0.95, AGFI=0.93, RMSEA=0.061).

 According to the present research findings, resilience and differentiation, with the mediating role of emotion regulation, can be a desirable model for explaining marital burnout in couples with marital conflicts.