The predictive power of basic psychological needs on marital satisfaction among married individuals

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between marital satisfaction and basic psychological needs among married individuals and determine the predictive power of basic psychological needs on marital satisfaction . Furthermore, the study also examines whether marital satisfaction of married individuals differs according to gender and number of children variables. The study employed a correlational method. The data were collected using a convenient sampling method. The study sample consisted of a total of 299 married individuals, with 58.9% being female and 41.1% being male. The data for the study were collected using the "Marital Life Satisfaction Scale" and the "Need Satisfaction Scale". In order to examine whether there is a significant relationship between marital satisfaction and basic psychological needs, Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted in the study. The predictive power of basic psychological needs on marital satisfaction was examined through multiple regression analysis. Additionally, the question of whether marital satisfaction significantly differs according to gender and number of children was determined using t-tests and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results of the regression analysis revealed that autonomy need significantly predicted marital satisfaction among married individuals, while competence and relatedness needs did not. Furthermore, it was observed that marital satisfaction did not significantly differ based on gender, but it did significantly differ based on the number of children. Subsequent Scheffe tests were conducted to determine the source of this difference, and it was found that married individuals without children had significantly higher mean scores compared to those with three or more children at a significant level.