Attachment Styles, Marital Interactional Processes and Marital Satisfaction: Model of Structural Equation (Fitting Model of Family therapy)

The purpose of this study was examining the nature of relationship between attachment style and marital interactional processes (sexual intimacy, conflict management, communication) and marital satisfaction by applying structural equation modeling technique. In this co-relational study, 410 parents of students of elementary and secondary schools in Kermanshah (150 men, 260 women) were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling method. They completed following instruments: close relationships scale, dyadic adjustment scale (spianer, 1976) and ENRICH Inventory (Olsen et al, 1987). Avoidant attachment style has significant direct negative effect on marital satisfaction. Both avoidant and anxious styles have significant indirect effects on marital satisfaction through impacting marital interaction processes. Interactional processes (sexual intimacy, conflict management, communication) have direct positive effect on marital satisfaction. Marriage interactional processes (sexual intimacy, communication and conflict management) mediated the relationship between attachment style and marital satisfaction and can be targeted by therapeutic interventions of family counselors