Modeling reduce the risk of divorce based on marital intimacy, triangulation and attachment with the mediating role of Cohesion and Adaptability in married people with a history of 2 to 5 years

The present study sought to propose a divorce risk reduction model based on marital intimacy, triangulation, and attachment with a focus on the mediating role of cohesion and adaptability in married people. This study was conducted using a correlational and path analysis design. The participants were 186 married people residing in Neka, a city in Mazandaran Province, Iran. The participants’ ages ranged from 22 to 40 years, and they were selected through non-random convenience sampling based on Klein's formula (1998). The criteria for enrollment in the study were being married for 2 to 5 years and the age range of 22 and 40 years. The instruments used to collect the data were the Marital Instability Index (Edwards, Johnson & Booth, 1987), the Intimacy Scale (IS) (Walker & Thompson, 1983), the Triangulation Questionnaire (Yousefi & Bahrami, 2012), the Adult Attachment Scale (Collins & Reed, 1990), and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES) (Elson, Portner, & Bell, 1985). The findings revealed that marital intimacy, attachment, adaptability, and cohesion have a negative and direct effect on reducing the risk of divorce (marriage instability). In addition, 32% and 24% of the impact of marital intimacy and attachment on reducing the risk of divorce (marriage instability) can be explained through cohesion. Furthermore, 58% and 32% of the effects of triangulation and attachment on reducing the risk of divorce (marriage instability) can be explained through adaptability. The data in this study showed a relationship between intimacy, attachment, and divorce risk reduction mediated by cohesion. In addition, triangulation and attachment can reduce the risk of divorce through the mediating role of adaptability.