Fear of Intimacy, Dyadic Adjustment and Marital Satisfaction among Married Individuals

Abstract

The current study examine the association of fear of intimacy, dyadic adjustment, and marital satisfaction among married individuals in Pakistan. The data was collected from married individuals selected by using purposive sampling methods. To gather data, Fear of Intimacy Scale (FIS), Revised Dyadic Adjustment scale (RDAS), and Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale were employed. A total of 143 participants (63 males and 80 females).The data was analyzed through SPSS 27 version and  Hayes' PROCESS Macro (Model 4). The results indicated that fear of intimacy and marital satisfaction have a negative relationship, while positive relationship found in dyadic adjustment and marital satisfaction. Regression analysis revealed that both fear of intimacy and dyadic adjustment significantly predict the marital satisfaction. T –test, results indicated no significant gender difference in fear of intimacy, dyadic adjustment and marital satisfaction. Moreover, the results of mediation model examining the role of dyadic adjustment in the relationship between fear of intimacy and marital satisfaction among married individuals and indicated that fear of intimacy significantly predicted dyadic adjustment.  Furthermore, dyadic adjustment significantly predicted marital satisfaction.  The direct effect of fear of intimacy on marital satisfaction remained statistically significant after controlling for dyadic adjustment indicating that fear of intimacy continued to have a direct influence on marital satisfaction.  The implications of this research shed a light on the importance of understanding these relationships. This study offers valuable insights into relationship dynamics and can support in the creation of couple counseling and development of intervention strategies. This study has demonstrated the collective influence on marital satisfaction among married individuals in Pakistan.