Developing a Model of Marital Distress Based on Attachment Styles with the Mediating Role of Hidden Aggression among Dissatisfied Young Couples

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Keywords:

Marital Distress, Attachment Styles, Hidden Aggression, Avoidant Attachment, Anxious Attachment, Dissatisfied Couples

Abstract

This study aimed to develop and test a model of marital distress based on attachment styles, with hidden aggression as a mediating variable among dissatisfied young couples. This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of couples seeking divorce who attended three family counseling offices supervised by the Judiciary in Pardis New City between March and June 2023. Based on Green’s formula, 122 participants were selected through proportional stratified sampling. Data were collected using Snyder’s Marital Distress Questionnaire (1979), Hazan and Shaver’s Attachment Styles Questionnaire (1987), and Nelson and Carroll’s Hidden Aggression Questionnaire (2006). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 and SmartPLS version 3. Partial least squares structural equation modeling was applied to test the direct and indirect relationships among the study variables. Avoidant attachment had a significant positive effect on hidden aggression (β=0.200, t=2.639, p=0.009), as did anxious attachment (β=0.367, t=4.877, p=0.001). Hidden aggression significantly and positively predicted marital distress (β=0.658, t=9.378, p=0.001). The indirect effect of avoidant attachment on marital distress through hidden aggression was significant (β=0.132, t=2.637, p=0.009), and the indirect effect of anxious attachment was also significant (β=0.241, t=4.509, p=0.001). In contrast, the indirect effect of secure attachment was nonsignificant (β=-0.077, t=0.979, p=0.330). Direct effects of avoidant, anxious, and secure attachment styles on marital distress were nonsignificant. The overall goodness-of-fit index was 0.306, indicating an acceptable overall model fit. Hidden aggression constitutes an important mediating mechanism through which avoidant and anxious attachment styles contribute to marital distress. Accordingly, couple-based interventions targeting insecure attachment patterns and reducing indirect forms of aggression may help alleviate marital distress and improve relational functioning among dissatisfied young couples.

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Taheri, M. ., Mihandoost, Z., Ahmadi, V. ., Mami, S. ., & Soleimannejad, H. . (1405). Developing a Model of Marital Distress Based on Attachment Styles with the Mediating Role of Hidden Aggression among Dissatisfied Young Couples. Couple Therapy Assessment, Evaluation, and Intervention, 1-24. https://www.jctaei.com/index.php/jctaei/article/view/106