Predictive model of marital satisfaction of breastfeeding primiparous women based on demographic information, Babol, Iran

Marital satisfaction (MS) is a multidimensional concept related to the individual characteristics of couples, the dynamics of inter-spousal relationships, and intergenerational attachments. We aimed to determine the predictive model of marital satisfaction in breastfeeding primiparous women based on demographic information.

This descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted between August and November 2015 on 160 primiparous breastfeeding women with full-term, healthy, singleton infant who had been referred to the health centers of Babol, north of Iran, for the two-month vaccination. The research samples were selected using the convenience sampling method among ten centers in Babol, selected randomly through a lottery. They completed the demographic information form and the Persian version of the 47-items Enrich's marital satisfaction scale (EMS) in a self-report manner. The obtained scores were converted into scale scores (0-100). Data were analyzed using SPSS (version 16) with descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, frequency) and inferential statistics (Student's t-test, ANOVA and Stepwise Multiple regression tests) at a confidence level of 0.05. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov and Shapirovilk tests were used as appropriate.

The means± SD marital satisfaction score of breastfeeding primiparous women was 86.05±12.91 (High Level). The three variables of spouse's education (X1), Spouse participation in housework (X2), and age of marriage (X3) were able to predict the level of marital satisfaction (using the formula Y = 33.89 + 2.02 X1 + 4.17 X2 + 0.40 X3). There was no relationship between marital satisfaction with age, spouse's age, employment status, spouse's employment status, education, type of delivery, type of marriage, income, and housing status.

The increase in spouse's education, spouse's participation in the home, and marriage age were associated with higher marital satisfaction. Based on the three mentioned variables, the prediction model obtained can be used to estimate the marital satisfaction of breastfeeding primiparous women.