The moderating role of positive and negative affects on the association of sexual knowledge and attitude with marital satisfaction

Marital satisfaction is one of the factors that can bring happiness and satisfaction into marital life. Identifying variables that influence marital satisfaction is very important and essential to help maintain a marriage. Studies show that sexual knowledge and attitude as well as positive and negative affects can influence marital satisfaction in different ways. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the role of positive and negative affects  in moderating the association of sexual knowledge and attitude with marital satisfaction. To this end, 300 married Afghans (148 males, 137 females, 15 unspecified) living in Kabul participated in this study. Participants were asked to complete the Knowledge and Attitude Scale (SKAS), the Golombok Rust Inventory of Marital State (GRIMS), and the Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS). Results showed that sexual knowledge and attitude had a positive relationship with marital satisfaction. Positive and negative affects also had a statistically significant positive and negative relationship with marital satisfaction, respectively. The results also revealed that the relationship between sexual attitude and marital satisfaction was moderated by negative affects, however, it was not moderated by sexual knowledge. The moderating effect of positive affects on the association of sexual knowledge and attitude with marital satisfaction was not statistically significant. Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that some affects can play a decisive role in the association of sexual knowledge and attitude with marital satisfaction. Identifying such affects as well as preventing them from being intensified, will have an influential impact on both marital and satisfaction and family relationships.