The Effect of Affective Empathy on Marital Relationship Quality with the Mediating Role of Intimacy
Keywords:
Emotional empathy, quality of marital relationships, intimacyAbstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of affective empathy on the quality of marital relationships, with the mediating role of intimacy.
Methodology: This research is applied in terms of purpose and falls under the category of descriptive-correlational studies based on structural equation modeling in terms of method and nature. The statistical population of this study consisted of married students at Islamic Azad University, North Tehran Branch. Based on the rule commonly used in structural equation modeling, 242 questionnaires were collected using convenience sampling. The data collection instruments included the Couples' Intimacy Questionnaire by Wenden and Birtman (1995), the Marital Relationship Quality Questionnaire by Busby et al. (1995), and the Empathy Scale by Mehrabian and Epstein (1972). Data analysis was conducted using AMOS software.
Findings: The findings revealed that affective empathy influences marital relationship quality both directly and indirectly through intimacy (p < .05).
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, empathy and intimacy can be considered influential factors in the quality of marital relationships.
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References
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