The role of loneliness, sexual satisfaction and forgiveness in predicting depression in women affected by infidelity

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of loneliness, sexual satisfaction, and forgiveness in predicting depression in women affected by infidelity.

250 women affected by infidelity in Tehran were selected usinghe purposive sampling method and participated in this study. Participants completed the Russell & Pilva & Cortona (1980) Loneliness Questionnaire, Larson et al. (1998), Ray et al. (2001), and Beck (1996) Depression Inventory. Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression.

The findings showed that there was a significant negative relationship between feelings of loneliness and depression (P <0.01) and a significant positive relationship between sexual satisfaction and forgiveness with depression (P <0.01). The results of multiple regression also showed that feelings of loneliness, sexual satisfaction, and forgiveness play a role in predicting depression in women affected by infidelity and the share of feelings of loneliness was greater than other predictor variables.

Based on the results of the study, it can be concluded that feelings of loneliness, sexual satisfaction, and forgiveness are effective on depression in women affected by infidelity.