The Modeling of Structural Relationship of Marital Conflict Concerning Attachment Styles, Narcissism Sensation Seeking, and Marital Burnout in Couples

Marital conflicts are among the major problems in societies, which harm the structures of families and cause behavioral and psychological problems in children. The present study aimed to examine the mediating role of marital conflict in the relationship between attachment styles, narcissism and sensation seeking, and marital burnout. 

A correlational method based on structural equation modeling was used in this research. The sample population was the couples that were married for 5 years, referring to consulting centers in the second and third quarters of 2018 to solve their marital conflicts. In total, 100 couples were selected through convenience sampling method. They completed the following questionnaires: 1) Narcissistic Personality Inventory (NPI–40, Ruskin and Terry, 1988), Ruskin and Hull developed the main version of the Narcissistic Personality Inventory based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Third Edition (DSM–III). Moreover, it consists of 40 pairs and 7 items (authority, self–sufficiency, superiority seeking, self–display, exploitation, pride, & nicknaming); the obtained points of each person implicate the presence or lack of one of the attributes. The experimental studies have supported the reliability of it (Ruskin and Terry, 1988; Ackerman et al., 2011). 2) The Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ, Sanaei & Barati, 2000) that consists of 54 items and 7 subscales about decreased cooperation decreased sexual relationships, drawing more support from children, more personal relationships with kinsmen, reduced family relationships with the family of spouse and friends, less effective relation with the spouse, and the separation of financial matters from the spouse. The results of several studies have supported the validity and reliability of this scale (Zahed Babolan, Husseini Shurabeh, Piri, and Dehghan, 2015). 3) In the adult version of the Attachment Style Scale, (AAS–R, Collins & Reid,1990), Collins and Reid (1990) have emphasized the differentiation logic of Hazan and Shiver about attachment styles (secure, anxious, & avoidant children) described the discrimination of three attachment styles in the adult version; the sum of the scores of the subjects in each subscale is calculated in that subscale as their general score. Various studies have supported the technical aspects of the adult version (Collins and Reid, 1990; Pakdaman, 2011). 4) The Marital Burnout Questionnaire (MBQ, Paniz, 1996) includes 21 questions answered on a 7–point scale with three components of emotional tiredness, psychological tiredness, and physical tiredness. For explaining the obtained scores, the score of each participant is divided by the total number of questions of the tool (21 questions). The score of each dimension of burnout indicates an increased level of marital burnout. 5) Zuckermanchr('39')s Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS–1979) is a multidimensional tool, i.e., composed of 4 different aspects (subscales). These dimensions are thrill and adventure seeking, disinhibition, experience–seeking, and boredom susceptibility. Each subscale contains 10 items, making a total of 40 items. Every pair of items determines if a participant is a sensation seeker or not. The experimental studies have supported this scale’s reliability (Zuckerman 1994; Zuckerman 2007).

is the present study results suggested a significant relationship between secure attachment style (β=–0.17, p=0.027), avoidant attachment style (β=0.21, p=0.016), anxiety (β=0.48, p≤0.001), narcissism (β=0.30, p=0.008), sensation seeking (β=0.25, p=0.010), marital conflict (β=0.75, p≤0.001), and marital burnout. The fitness test of the structural equation model and the fitness of the final model revealed that the fitness indices were CFI=0.93, GFI=0.93, AGFI=0.90, and RMSEA=0.063, indicating a proper fit for the model and the relevant data.

According to the obtained data, it is necessary to provide educational workshops and interventions to reduce divorce and marital conflicts and to modify the confronting guidelines.