Identifying the Components of Marital Relationship: A Qualitative Study

Marital relationship affects not only individuals’ physical and mental health in marriage and married life, but also contexts and relationships inside and outside the family. The present study, therefore, was an attempt to identify the components of marital relationship. In this qualitative and content analysis-based study, 22 married couples were selected using purposive-voluntary sampling method, and semi-structured interviews were done until data saturation. Data analysis led to a key subject titled “marital quality” which its framework included ten components of “marital commitment”, “religious beliefs”, “marital relationship”, “conflict resolution/problem-solving skills”, “financial resources management”, “having a purpose in life”, “lack of interferece by others”, “recreation/leisure times”, “equity”, and “forgiveness”. The results of this study help educational and therapeutic centers to establish necessary programs, based on the identified factors, concerning families. Teaching these factors to couples helps them to prevent breakdowns in life, and to promote their satisfaction and quality in marital life