Evaluating the Model of the Relationship between Mindfulness and Marital Satisfaction with Mediation of Marital Empathy

This research was conducted to evaluate the model of relationship between mindfulness and marital satisfaction with mediating marital empathy among married female under occupied in Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation of Ahvaz. This study is applied in terms of purpose and has a correlational design. One hundred and fifty married women employed in Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation of Ahvaz were selected in 2018 using purposive and voluntary sampling method. The data collection instruments used were Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Marital Empathy Scale (MES) and Marital Satisfaction Scale (MSS). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, simultaneous hierarchical regression analysis, and SPSS-23 statistical software. The results showed that there was a significant positive relationship between the variables mindfulness and marital empathy, mindfulness and marital satisfaction, and marital empathy and marital satisfaction (p < 0.001). Simultaneous hierarchical regression analysis using Baron and Kenny’s method also revealed that marital empathy was a positive mediator variable between mindfulness and marital satisfaction. The results suggest that women’s understanding and empathy in different ways, such as verbal and nonverbal behaviors, lead them to be aware of their partner’s demands and needs and to try to understand their feelings and emotions, which in turn leads to the couple feeling good about each other.