Examining the association between religious commitment and marital stability among divorce-seeking and normal couples in Tehran

Divorce is a social and family crisis that leads to the collapse of family bonds. The present study aimed at examining the association between religious commitment and marital stability among divorce-seeking and normal couples in Tehran. This study adopted a causal-comparative design. The statistical population included all divorce-seeking and normal male and female spouses in southern Tehran. The participating individuals were selected randomly. In this study, the sample size was 250 (150 men and 100 women), out of which 100 people had applied for divorce and 150 were non-applicants. To gather the data, Religious Commitment Questionnaire and Marital Instability Index Questionnaire were used. The data were analyzed through descriptive statistical techniques (mean and standard deviation) and regression. All ethical issues were observed in this study and the researchers declared no conflict of interests. The findings showed the regression coefficient of the relationship between intrapersonal religious commitment and marital instability was -0.27, while that for the association between interpersonal religious commitment and marital instability was -0.34. Religious commitment at interpersonal and intrapersonal levels increases flexibility in relations between couples and reduces marital instability.