Presentation of Paradigm Model of Women's Sustainability in Dissatisfied Marriages; A Qualitative Research

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• Hadi Salimi ¹
• Moosa Javdan ²
• Eghbal zarei ³
• Samaneh Najarpourian ²

¹ Faculty of Humanities Sciences, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas, Iran.

² Assistant Professor, Faculty of Humanities, University of Hormozgan, Bandar Abbas,

³ member of scientific

Abstract

Couples may have a stable marital relationship but have no sense of satisfaction and have to endure such relationship. Unfortunately, such marriages have a lot of harm on couples, especially women. Therefore this study was done aimed to present a paradigm model of women's sustainability in dissatisfied marriages. This study was qualitative and based on grounded theory. Statistical population consisted of all dissatisfied married women in Bandar Abbas with at least 5 years of married life in 2019. 21 women were selected through theoretical sampling method and based on snowball sampling method, and the selection of samples proceeded to theoretical saturation. Data were collected based on semi-structured interviews and Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS). For data analysis, open, axial and selective coding was used. The coding results led to the identification of 14 categories that presented in the paradigm model. The results of the analysis showed that dissatisfied women from marital relationship may maintain their dissatisfied marriage due to the existing dependencies and use different strategies in order to adjustment to the existing conditions. Based on the results, a combination of intrapersonal, interpersonal and social factors can explain women sustainability in dissatisfied marriages. The results of this research can be applied in pathology and empowerment of women and family.

Keywords

• marriage
• marital stability
• marital dissatisfaction
• Women
• ground theory

20.1001.1.20088566.1399.11.43.5.3

---

References

-  Andersson, L. (2016). Gender, family life course and attitudes towards divorce in Sweden. Acta Sociologica, 59(1), 51-67.

-  Belgrave, L. L., & Seide, K. (2019). Grounded Theory Methodology: Principles and Practices. Handbook of Research Methods in Health Social Sciences, 299-316.

-  Butt, T. (2008). George Kelly: The psychology of personal constructs. New York: Macmillan International Higher Education.

-  Cheung, P. P., & Hudson, W. W. (1982). Assessment of marital discord in social work practice: A revalidation of the Index of Marital Satisfaction. Journal of Social Service Research, 5(1-2), 101-118.

-  Clark, V. L. P., & Creswell, J. W. (2005). Student study guide to accompany Creswell's educational research: planning, conducting, and evaluating quantitative and qualitative research. Merrill.

-  Copur, Z., & Eker, I. (2014). The relationship between financial issues and marital relationship. International Journal of Arts & Sciences, 7(5), 683.

-  Crane, D. R., Soderquist, J. N., & Gardner, M. D. (1995). Gender differences in cognitive and behavioral steps toward divorce. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 23(2), 99-105.

-  Dew, J., Britt, S., & Huston, S. (2012). Examining the relationship between financial issues and divorce. Family Relations, 61(4), 615-628.

-  Dixon, D. C. (2013). Christian spirituality and marital health: A phenomenological study of long-term marriages. A doctoral dissertation in counseling. Liberty University.

-  Donoho, C. J., Crimmins, E. M., & Seeman, T. E. (2013). Marital quality, gender, and markers of inflammation in the MIDUS cohort. Journal of Marriage and Family, 75(1), 127-141.

-  Dung Le, T. M. (2008). Vietnamese Couples' Perceptions of the Factors that Contribute to Satisfaction in Long-Term Marriages. A Master Dissertation in social work. University of Manitoba.

-  Edward, D. A., & Chapman, T. (2011). The evolution and significance of male mate choice. Trends in Ecology & Evolution, 26(12), 647-654.

-  Hashemi, L., & Homayuni, H. (2017). Emotional Divorce: Child’s Well-Being. Journal of Divorce & Remarriage, 58(8), 631-644.

-  Heaton, T. B., & Albrecht, S. L. (1991). Stable unhappy marriages. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 747-758.

-  Holt-Lunstad, J., Birmingham, W., & Jones, B. Q. (2008). Is there something unique about marriage? The relative impact of marital status, relationship quality, and network social support on ambulatory blood pressure and mental health. Annals of behavioral medicine, 35(2), 239-244.

-  Jeon, Y. H. (2004). The application of grounded theory and symbolic interactionism. Scandinavian journal of caring sciences, 18(3), 249-256.

-  Jonathan, N., & Knudson-Martin, C. (2012). Building connection: Attunement and gender equality in heterosexual relationships. Journal of Couple and Relationship Therapy, 11, 95–111.

-  Kaczor, C., & Kaczor, J. (2014). The Seven Big Myths about Marriage: What Science, Faith and Philosophy Teach Us about Love and Happiness. San Francisco: Ignatius Press.

-  Kalmijn, M. (1999). Father involvement in childrearing and the perceived stability of marriage. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 409-421.

-  Kelly, A. B., Fincham, F. D., & Beach, S. R. (2003). Communication skills in couples: A review and discussion of emerging perspectives. Handbook of communication and social interaction skills, 723-751.

-  Knoester, C., & Booth, A. (2000). Barriers to divorce: When are they effective? When are they not?. Journal of family issues, 21(1), 78-99.

-  Knudson-Martin, C., Wells, M. A., & Samman, S. K. (Eds.). (2015). Socio-emotional relationship therapy: Bridging emotion, societal context, and couple interaction. Springer.

-  Lenthall, G. (1977). Marital satisfaction and marital stability. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 3(4), 25-32.

-  Leung, L. (2015). Validity, reliability, and generalizability in qualitative research. Journal of family medicine and primary care, 4(3), 324.

-  Li, T., & Fung, H. H. (2011). The dynamic goal theory of marital satisfaction. Review of General Psychology, 15(3), 246-54.

-  Liu, H., & Waite, L. (2014). Bad marriage, broken heart? Age and gender differences in the link between marital quality and cardiovascular risks among older adults. Journal of health and social behavior, 55(4), 403-423.

-  Manning, W. D. (2004). Children and the stability of cohabiting couples. Journal of Marriage and Family, 66(3), 674-689.

-  Mohebbi, S.F. (2001). The social pathology of women's issues. Womens Strategic Studies, 12: 23-8. [Persian]

-  Munhall, P. L. (2012). Nursing research: a qualitative perspective. 5^th ed. Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

-  Nakonezny, P. A., & Denton, W. H. (2008). Marital relationships: A social exchange theory perspective. The American Journal of Family Therapy, 36(5), 402-412.

-  Orathinkal, J., & Vansteenwegen, A. (2006). The effect of forgiveness on marital satisfaction in relation to marital stability. Contemporary family therapy, 28(2), 251-260.

-  Pandit, N. R. (1996). The creation of theory: A recent application of the grounded theory method. The qualitative report, 2(4), 1-14.

-  Parker, R. (2002). Why marriages last: a discussion of the literature. Research Paper No. 28. Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies.

-  Pillsworth, E. G., & Haselton, M. G. (2006). Women's sexual strategies: The evolution of long-term bonds and extrapair sex. Annual Review of Sex Research, 17(1), 59-100.

-  Sahler, O. J. Z., & Carr, J. E. (2009). Coping strategies. In Developmental-behavioral pediatrics (pp. 491-496). WB Saunders.

-  Salimi, H., Javdan, M., Zarei, E., & Najarpourian, S. (2019). The health of marital relationship in the light of factors affecting the stability and satisfaction of the relationship: A systematic review. Journal of Educ Community Health, 6(3), 183-192. [Persian]

-  Sanaei Zaker, B., Alagheband, S., Falahati, Sh., & Hooman, A. (2117). Family and Marriage Measurement Scales. Fourth Edition, Tehran: Be'sat. [Persian]

-  Strauss, A., & Corbin, J. (1998). Basic of qualitative research: techniques and procedures for developing grounded theory. London: Sage Publications Inc.

-  Todd, P. M., Penke, L., Fasolo, B., & Lenton, A. P. (2007). Different cognitive processes underlie human mate choices and mate preferences. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104(38), 15011-16.

-  Toth, K., & Kemmelmeier, M. (2009). Divorce attitudes around the world: Distinguishing the impact of culture on evaluations and attitude structure. Cross-Cultural Research, 43(3), 280-297.

-  Walzer, S., & Oles, T. P. (2003). Accounting for divorce: Gender and uncoupling narratives. Qualitative Sociology, 26(3), 331-349.

-  Ward, C., & Kennedy, A. (1994). Acculturation strategies, psychological adjustment, and sociocultural competence during cross-cultural transitions. International journal of intercultural relations, 18(3), 329-343.

-  Willoughby, B. J. (2010). Marital attitude trajectories across adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 39(11), 1305-1317.

-  Yodanis, C. (2005). Divorce culture and marital gender equality: A cross-national study. Gender & Society, 19(5), 644-659.