The Relationship between Sensation Seeking, Positive and Negative Affect, Alexithymia and Marital Infidelity

The issue of marital infidelity in Iranian society is a growing concern that is associated with unsustainable relationships and high divorce rates. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between sensation seeking, positive and negative affect, alexithymia and marital infidelity.
This study was a descriptive-correlational study. The population of the study included all women and men with and without marital infidelity in Dezful city. 200 women were selected by snowball sampling and placed in two groups with and without marital infidelity. The research tools were Zuckerman's sensation-seeking scale; positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) and Toronto alexithymia scale. Data were analyzed by SPSS v20 and logistic regression analysis.
The results showed that negative affect, alexithymia, and sensation seeking variables were 94%, 95% and 92% predictive of marital infidelity, respectively. Considering the factor load of variables, alexithymia empowerment is more likely to predict marital infidelity than other variables. Also, the results showed that positive affect had no significant relationship with marital infidelity.
The results showed that individuals with sensation seeking personality characteristics, alexithymia, and negative affect are at high risk of marital infidelity. Therefore, the study of sensation seeking personality characteristics, alexithymia, and negative affect offers suitable ideas for working in the field of betrayal and marital decency to family counselors and couples therapists.