Mediators for Effect of Mindfulness in Promoting Marital Satisfaction: Modeling Structural Equations in an Experimental Study.
Fatemeh Forouzeh Yekta, Hamid Yaghoubi, Soheila Ghomian, Mohammad Gholami Fesharaki
Iranian Journal of Psychiatry January 2022 DOI: 10.18502/ijps.v17i1.8051 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Quasi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test and control group Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 60 |
| Population | Married women in Tehran with moderate marital satisfaction |
| Intervention | Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) |
| Duration | 8 sessions |
| Measures | Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Interpersonal Reactivity Inventory (IRI), Needs for Intimacy Questionnaire of Bagarozi, Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI) |
| Topics | Meditation |
| Keywords | Marital relationship Personal satisfaction Statistical model |
| Key findings | The authors report that mindfulness-based stress reduction improved marital satisfaction indirectly by reducing psychological distress and improving emotion regulation and empathy, while the direct path from mindfulness to marital satisfaction was not significant (t = 1.14), nor were paths from marital intimacy (t = 0.48) or positive affect (t = 1.75); the modified model fit well (GOF = 0.47). |
Abstract
Objective: The present study evaluated the model of mediating variables concerning effectiveness of mindfulness in improving women's marital satisfaction.
Method: This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and control groups. The statistical population included every married woman in Tehran in the year 1396 (2017). The research sample was composed of 60 married women with moderate marital satisfaction. They were chosen using the convenient sampling technique and were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. The experimental group attended 8 sessions of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and the control group was on a waiting list. Both groups answered the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Interpersonal Reactivity Inventory (IRI), Needs for Intimacy Questionnaire of Bagarozi, Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS) and the Couple Satisfaction Index (CSI) before and at end of intervention. The data were analyzed by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using PLS-22 and SPSS-23.
Results: In the initial hypothetical model, which included the direct effect of mindfulness on marital satisfaction and its indirect effects through psychological distress, emotion regulation, empathy, marital intimacy and positive emotion on marital satisfaction, coefficients of all model paths were significant at 95% level except direct path of mindfulness to marital satisfaction (t = 1.14), marital intimacy to marital satisfaction (t = 0.48) and positive affection to marital satisfaction (t = 1.75). After removing the non-significant paths, the model was tested again and the model fit index (GOF = 0.47) was a very good fit for the modified overall model.
Conclusion: The results identified mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention was effective in enhancing marital satisfaction through reducing psychological distress and improving emotion regulation and empathy.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Cancer patients (clinical intervention study) | 2003 | Mixed methods: scale development, correlational, quasi-experimental, laboratory, experience-sampling, and clinical intervention study | |
| Loving-kindness meditation increases social connectedness. | 2008 | Controlled laboratory experiment | |
| Mindfulness and mind-wandering: Finding convergence through opposing constructs. | 2012 | Two studies: correlational study and experimental study | |
| Mental Training Enhances Attentional Stability: Neural and Behavioral Evidence | 2009 | Experimental study | |
| Mindfulness meditation and substance use in an incarcerated population. Incarcerated population | 2006 | Quasi-experimental with treatment-as-usual control condition |
Citations in the library
Cited by 2
- Evaluating the interrelationship of mindfulness, sexual relational concern, and health related behaviors on women’s life satisfaction through path analysis BMC Women's Health July 19, 2025
- Mediating effect of mindfulness level on the relationship between marital quality and postpartum depression among primiparas. World Journal of Clinical Cases April 26, 2023