Antecedents and Consequences of Marital Satisfaction in an Emirati Sample: A Structural Equation Model Analysis

Abstract

This study surveyed 1,000 married Emirati men and women to explore a model of marital satisfaction in relation to self-esteem, satisfaction with life, gender-role attitudes and general health (physical and psychological). The Emirati Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMSS; Al-Darmaki et al., were utilized. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the EMSS indicated a moderate fit of the data to one factor structure. CFA on SSES and SWLS indicated an adequate fit of the data to the four-factor solution and one factor, respectively. The structural equation model for the EMSS showed that both general health and gender-role attitudes predict marital satisfaction and that marital satisfaction seems to predict the individual's well-being as measured by life satisfaction and self-esteem. These results are discussed within the context of the UAE culture and directions for future research are provided.

Predictors of Emirati Marital Satisfaction: Contributions of Psychological Health and Family Functioning

“…Overall, the results from the study reveal that marital satisfaction in the UAE is fairly high, suggesting that participants reported having meaningful and fulfilling marital relationships with their spouses. This result is similar to what Al-Darmaki et al (2014) and Al-Darmaki et al (2017) found using samples from the community. However, it is acknowledged that a social desirability effect may be influencing the results, or it may be due to the selection bias in the sample as less satisfied individuals might be less inclined to participate.…”

“…Building on our previous work, this study provides further evidence of the validity and reliability of the EMSS. Similar to previously reported reliabilities (Al-Darmaki et al, 2014; Al-Darmaki et al, 2017), this study revealed high internal consistency for the scale. In addition, the significant correlations observed between EMSS and GF12 and PCAD were in the expected directions and provide additional evidence for the validity of the EMSS and the other two scales.…”

“…While this list may not be exhaustive, as Zainah et al (2012) noted, the variables that influence or contribute to marital satisfaction may differ across cultures. Results from the foundational Emirati marital satisfaction studies (Al-Darmaki et al, 2014; Al-Darmaki et al, 2017) concur with this perspective. Some variables found to be significant include religious commitment and living location.…”

“…Together, family functioning and psychological distress explained about 50% of the variance in marital satisfaction. This result suggests that there may be other variables contributing to marital satisfaction (Al-Darmaki et al, 2017). Findings revealed gender differences in the mean scores of the PCAD and, therefore, the PCAD by gender interaction was calculated.…”

“…One significant advancement in this regard was the development of the Emirati Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMSS, Al-Darmaki et al, 2014). The EMSS scale allowed the authors to explore the construct of marital satisfaction from the native population’s perspective, as well as examine the relationship of marital satisfaction with variables such as life satisfaction, self-esteem, general health, and gender-role attitudes (Al-Darmaki et al, 2017) in an Emirati sociocultural context. Prior to these studies, relatively little was known about marital satisfaction beyond the statistical reports that consistently revealed high divorce rates among Emirati couples (Safdar, 2009).…”