Predict marital satisfaction based on the variables of socioeconomic status (SES) and social support, mediated by mental health, in women of reproductive age: Path analysis model

Abstract

Background: The present study aimed to predict marital satisfaction based on the variables of socioeconomic status (SES) and social support, mediated by mental health, in women of reproductive age using the path analysis model.

Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 608 women referred to clinics affiliated to Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in 2021 using multistage sampling. Data were collected using a personal-demographic questionnaire, the SES scale developed by Garmaroudi et al. in Iran, the Perceived Social Support scale, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck's Depression Inventory (BDI), and the ENRICH marital satisfaction scale. Data were analyzed in SPSS and LISREL-1.96 software at a significance level of p < .05.

Results: Most surveyed women were aged 21-30 years (50.2%) and were housewives (68%). According to the results of the path analysis test, among the variables that were causally related to marital satisfaction in only one path, depression had the highest negative correlation with marital satisfaction in the direct path (B = -0.23), SES the highest positive correlation in the indirect path (B = 2.336), and social support the highest positive correlation both in the direct and indirect paths (B = 0.365).

Conclusion: The results showed that more favorable social support and SES are associated with higher marital satisfaction while a higher level of depression is associated with a lower marital satisfaction. Therefore, these factors play important roles in marriage sustainability and marital satisfaction.

Keywords: marital status; mental health; satisfaction; social support; socioeconomic status.