Developing a model to explain marital satisfaction

In this research, a model explaining marital satisfaction has been tested. In this model marital readiness, marital self-efficacy, psychological symptoms, active planning type of coping with stress and personality traits of neurotism, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness were presumed to explain marital satisfaction. Participants have consisted of 1024 married individuals (620 female and 404 male). In this research, ?Dyadic Adjustment Scale? for marital satisfaction, ?Brief Symtom Scale? for psychological symptoms, ?Five Factors Personality Scale Brief Form? for personality features, ?The Scale of Coping with Stress? for coping with stress, ?The Marital Self-efficacy Scale? for self-efficacy and ?The Similarity in Marriage?, ?The Scale of Relations with Family of Origin? and ?Personal Information Form? which were developed by the researcher for marital readiness have been applied. This new model has explained the marital satisfaction as a whole. Conscientiousness from personality traits has affected directly marital satisfaction. Neurotism and agreeableness from personality traits have not affected directly marital satisfaction. Marital self-efficacy has an indirect effect on the relationship between the marital satisfaction and neurotism. Active planning type of coping with stress has an indirect effect on the relationship between the marital satisfaction and conscientiousness. Marital self-efficacy has an indirect effect on the relationship between the marital satisfaction and agreeableness.Marital self-efficacy has an indirect effect on the relationship between the marital satisfaction and openness. Active planning type of coping does not have an indirect effect on the relationship between the marital satisfaction and openness. Active planning type of coping, psychological symptoms, marital readiness and marital self-efficacy have a direct effect on the marital satisfaction. Marital self-efficacy has an indirect effect on the relationship between the marital satisfaction and marital readiness. Active planning type of coping has an indirect effect on the relationship between the marital satisfaction and marital self-efficacy. According to multiple regression analysis conclusions being done in order to explain marital satisfaction, while the approval of friends increases the marital satisfaction, the approval of the family has not an important effect on the marital satisfaction. At the same time, internal pressure negatively affects the marital satisfaction. Age of the couples does not seem to explain marital satisfaction in this model. Similarity in marriage and family of origin relationships have significantly predicted marital satisfaction. Marital satisfaction of males seems to be higher than marital satisfaction of females. Key words: Marital satisfaction, Five factor model of personality, Psychological symptoms, Marital self-efficacy, Marital readiness, Coping with stress