The Direct and Indirect Effects of Gratitude and Optimism on the Marital Satisfaction

The major focus of present literature on marital satisfaction is about the processes that weaken it in couples. In contrast, positive factors that may contribute to the prosperity of couples’ relationships are less widely considered. Gratitude is one of the factors that its role and in particular, the pathways that associate it to marital satisfaction are not studied. The current study aimed at investigating the direct and indirect effects of gratitude and optimism on marital satisfaction.

The current cross-sectional study using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted on 241 married female teachers. The data collection was performed using the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction (EMS), Gratitude Questionnaire-6 (GQ-6), and Life Orientation Test-Revised (LOT-R). Amos V. 24 and SPSS V. 24 software packages were applied for data analysis. Bootstrap in Preacher and Hayes’ Macro program was used for testing mediation.

Results indicated that the model with some modification had a good fit with the data (DF=1.86, GFI=0.95, IFI=0.97, CFI=0.97, NFI=0.94, RMSEA=0.06). The gratitude had a positive direct effect on marital satisfaction (β=0.32, P<0.05) and optimism (β=0.57, P<0.05). Optimism had a positive direct effect on marital satisfaction (β=0.50, p<0.05). The gratitude had a positive indirect effect on marital satisfaction via optimism (P<0.05).

Gratitude, directly and indirectly, through increased optimism, is associated with higher marital satisfaction. The current study results showed a stage into a better understanding of positive processes that can protect couples against marital dissatisfaction; counselors can help couples in attaining and keeping marital satisfaction via the training and enhancement of gratitude.