Prediction of Paranoid Thoughts Based on Marital Burnout: The Mediating Role of Couples’ Attachment Styles

Authors

Keywords:

Paranoid thoughts, marital boredom, attachment styles, secure attachment, insecure attachment, structural equation modeling

Abstract

This study aimed to predict paranoid thoughts based on marital burnout, with particular emphasis on the mediating role of couples’ attachment styles. This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational design based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of married individuals aged 20–60 years residing in Karaj, Iran, who had been married for at least one year. The study sample comprised 206 participants selected through purposive/convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Collins and Read Adult Attachment Scale, the Pines Marital Burnout Measure, and the Green Paranoid Thoughts Scale. Pearson correlation analysis and structural equation modeling were conducted using SPSS and AMOS, and indirect effects were examined to determine the mediating role of attachment styles. Structural equation modeling indicated that marital burnout had a significant positive direct effect on paranoid thoughts (β=0.745, p<0.01). Marital burnout significantly and positively predicted anxious attachment (β=0.729, p<0.01) and avoidant attachment (β=0.595, p<0.01), while it negatively predicted secure attachment (β=-0.663, p<0.01). Anxious attachment (β=0.282, p<0.01) and avoidant attachment (β=0.237, p<0.01) had significant positive effects on paranoid thoughts, whereas secure attachment had a significant negative effect (β=-0.129, p<0.01). Moreover, the indirect effects of marital burnout on paranoid thoughts through anxious attachment (β=0.161, p=0.005), avoidant attachment (β=0.057, p<0.001), and secure attachment (β=0.084, p=0.001) were statistically significant, confirming the mediating role of attachment styles. Marital burnout appears to contribute to paranoid thoughts both directly and indirectly through attachment-related mechanisms. Greater marital burnout may activate insecure anxious and avoidant attachment patterns while weakening relational security, thereby increasing suspicious and threat-oriented interpretations within intimate relationships. Interventions targeting both marital burnout and maladaptive attachment patterns may therefore contribute to reducing paranoid thoughts and improving emotional security and marital relationship quality.

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Bayat, P. ., & Eslahi Farshmi, F. (1405). Prediction of Paranoid Thoughts Based on Marital Burnout: The Mediating Role of Couples’ Attachment Styles. Couple Therapy Assessment, Evaluation, and Intervention, 1-25. https://www.jctaei.com/index.php/jctaei/article/view/129