Predicting Marital Instability Based on Spiritual/Religious Perfectionism, Communication Pattern and Pursuing/Distancing in Couples
Journal of Pizhūhish dar dīn va Salāmat (i.e., Research on Religion & Health),
Vol. 11 No. 4 (2025),
7 January 2026
,
Page 48-61
https://doi.org/10.22037/jrrh.v11i4.43823
Abstract
Background and Objective: The stability of marriage is considered one of the most important indicators of optimal performance in family and married life, and the instability of marriage has countless destructive effects on the psychological health of each couple. Therefore, this research was conducted with the aim of investigating the predictive role of spiritual/religious perfectionism, communication pattern and pursuing/distancing in marital instability of couples.
Methods: The present study was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population of the research included all married students living in the married dormitories of Tehran University in 2023, out of whom 360 were selected by simple random sampling and completed the questionnaires of Edwards' marital instability index, Besharat's spiritual/religious perfectionism scale, Sullaway and Christensen’s communication patterns questionnaire, and Bernstein's pursuing-distancing scale. Pearson's correlation coefficient and stepwise multiple regression were used for data analysis. In this research, all ethical considerations were observed and the authors of the article did not report any conflicts of interest.
Results: The results showed a meaningful negative correlation between pursuing (r=-0.16), spiritual/religious perfectionism (r=-0.31), and communication pattern (r=-0.48) and marriage instability, and a significant positive correlation between distancing (r=0.32) and marriage instability. Also, the regression analysis revealed that 56% of the variance in marital instability can be explained based on the variables of spiritual/religious perfectionism, communication pattern, and distancing.
Conclusion: It can be concluded that the more coherent the couples’ spiritual/religious perfectionism and the higher their ability to communicate and pursue, the more stable their married life will be.
- Couples
- Communication
- Marital instability
- Pursuing/distancing
- Spiritual/religious perfectionism
How to Cite
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