Structural model of marital commitment based on marital communication beliefs, emotional involvement, and criticism in the family with mediating role of marital intimacy

Aim of this research was to determine the structural model of marital commitment based on marital communication beliefs, emotional involvement, and criticism in the family with the mediating role of marital intimacy.

Method was descriptive-correlational and the statistical population consisted all of 746 married clients referred to Tehran counseling centers in 2018. According to Sample Power software, 350 subjects (196 women and 154 men) with convenient sampling method in five councelling centers of Mad, Behraz, Anahita and Talieh and Mehrpad, from districts One, Two and Five were selected. Instruments were Adam and Jones (1997) Marital Commitment Questionnaires, Edelson and Epstein (1982) Marital Communication Beliefs, Shields, Franks, Harp, McDaniel & Campbell (1994) Family Emotional involvement and Criticism Scale, and Bagarozi (2001) Marital Intimacy. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.

The findings showed a direct and significant relationship between marital intimacy with emotional involvement (β= -0.23, P= 0.009), received criticism (β= -0.13, P= 0.012), and communication beliefs (β=-0.28, P= 0.006). They also revealed a direct and significant relationship between marital commitment with emotional involvement (β= 0.76, P= 0.001), received criticism (β= 0.30, P= 0.009), and communication beliefs (β= 0.44, P= 0.006). The same relationship was also found between marital intimacy and marital commitment (β= 0.48, P= 0.001). Besides, marital communication beliefs, family emotional involvement and criticism, and marital intimacy can predict 48% of the variance in the marital commitment.

Family counselors are recommended to further focus on pre- and post-marriage counseling to improve couples' relationships and family solidity in creating and developing concious, committed, and intimate interactions.