The Intermediary Role of Marital Satisfaction in the Relationship between Spiritual Experiences and Happiness of the Married Couples

Abstract

Background: Happiness and vitality are enumerated as the primary and necessary natural needs of human beings and they can be envisioned as the most important factors of family-society health. The present study aimed to investigate the intermediary role of marital satisfaction, social support, and resilience in the relationship between spiritual experiences and happiness of the married students of Kermanshah. Methods: The present study was a descriptive research of the correlation type and it was specifically based on the structural equations model. The statistical population included married students of Kermanshah in 2018. A total of 356 married students was selected as the sample using the Morgan table. The research instrument included the Spiritual Experience Scale, ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using path analysis and SPSS 18 and AMOS 21 software packages. Results: The results showed that there was a direct and positive relationship between spiritual experiences with social support, resilience, marital satisfaction, and happiness (P= 0.0001). Based on the results, there was a positive and significant relationship between social support and happiness (P= 0.008). There was also a positive and significant relationship between resilience and marital satisfaction with happiness in married students (P= 0.001). Conclusion: High spiritual experiences cause elevation of marital satisfaction via bringing about a shift in students’ attitudes and creating a positive value system and the high marital satisfaction subsequently makes the university students optimistic towards life.

Keywords

• Happiness
• Personal satisfaction
• Mysticism
• Resilience, Psychological
• Social Support