The Mediating Role of Fulfillment of Marital Expectations in the effect of Marital Satisfaction on High Marital Expectations, Optimism and Relationship Self-Efficacy in University Personell

The current research was conducted to study mediating role of fulfillment of marital expectations in the effect of marital satisfaction on high marital expectations, optimism and relationship self-efficacy in married university employees. The population consisted of all married employees in Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz and Ahvaz Jondi-Shapour University of Medical Science. Therefore 200 employees were recruited according to available-voluntary sampling. The participants were asked to complete Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale, Inventory of Specific Relationship Standards, Life Orientation Scale —Revised and Relationship Self-Efficacy Scale. The model evaluation was made by path analysis method. The results of correlation coefficients showed that there were significant positive correlations between fulfillment of marital expectations, high marital expectations, optimism and relationship self-efficacy and marital satisfaction. After eliminating the three non-significant effects, the last model had a good fitness. The results showed that optimism had both directly and indirectly (through fulfillment of marital expectations) significant positive effects on marital satisfaction. Likewise, high marital expectations and relationship self-efficacy were predictive of marital satisfaction indirectly through fulfillment of marital expectations. The results of this research showed despite the importance of optimism and self-efficacy, fulfillment of marital expectations has more important role in marital satisfaction.