Examining the Mediating Role of Self-compassion Between Communication Skills and Emotional Expression With the Empathy of Divorce Applicants

Given the prevalence of divorce and the growing trend of marital problems, it is necessary to investigate the factors that affect the interpersonal relationships of couples. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the mediating role of self-compassion in explaining the causal relationship between communication skills and emotional expression with empathy in divorce applicants.

This was a descriptive-correlational study with path analysis. The statistical population consisted of all men and women who applied for a divorce (age range: 30-50) and were referred to the counseling centers of the Judiciary in Tehran City, Iran, during 2020-2021. The sample size included 396 cases and it was selected via the convenience sampling method. To collect the data, standard questionnaires of self-compassion, communication skills, couple empathy, and emotional expression were used. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software, v. 21, and AMOS v. 24.

The results showed the fitness of the model (comparative fit index=0.953, goodness of fit index=0.954, adjusted goodness of fit index=0.895 and root mean square error of approximation=0.082). The model explained about 34% of the variance of a couple’s empathy in divorce applicants.

Based on these findings, the relationship between a couple’s empathy with communication skills and emotional expression is not a direct relationship and various factors, such as marital empathy can strengthen or weaken this relationship.