Volume 4, Issue 3 (September 2025)                   IJER 2025, 4(3): 1-11 | Back to browse issues page

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Bordan Z, Mirzamani Bafghi S M, Farghadani A. (2025). A Structural Model of Marital Intimacy: The Roles of Alexithymia and Psychological Flexibility Mediated by Psychological Cohesion. IJER. 4(3), 1-11.
URL: http://ijer.hormozgan.ac.ir/article-1-400-en.html
1- Department of Psychology, Sav.C., Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran, zahra.bordan@iau.ac.ir
2- Department of Clinical Psychology, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran , mirzamani@bmsu.ac.ir
3- Department of psychology, Sav.C., Islamic Azad University, Saveh, Iran, Az.Farghadani@iau.ac.ir
Abstract:   (1342 Views)
Objective: The present study aimed to develop a structural model of marital intimacy based on alexithymia and psychological flexibility, with the mediating role of psychological cohesion among married individuals.
Methods: This descriptive-correlational study was conducted on a statistical population comprising parents (men and women) aged 34 to 55 years, residing in Eslamshahr, who had children enrolled in lower secondary school in 2023. Using a multistage cluster sampling method, 443 individuals were selected as the research sample. Data were collected using the Marital Intimacy Questionnaire, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale, the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire for psychological flexibility, the Marital Status Self-Report Scale, and the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS-24 and AMOS-24 software.
Results: Findings indicated that the proposed structural model of marital intimacy based on alexithymia and psychological flexibility, mediated by psychological cohesion, demonstrated a good fit with the data. Moreover, both alexithymia and psychological flexibility predicted marital intimacy directly and indirectly through psychological cohesion among married individuals.
Conclusions: The results highlight the central role of psychological cohesion in strengthening marital intimacy, suggesting that both emotional alexithymia and psychological flexibility contribute to intimacy in marriage, both independently and through their influence on psychological cohesion.
Full-Text [PDF 342 kb]   (969 Downloads)    
Type of Study: Original | Subject: Educational Studies
Received: 2025/01/11 | Accepted: 2025/05/23 | Published: 2025/09/1

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