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Personality Factors, Attachment Styles and Coping Strategies in Couples with Good and Poor Marital Quality

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Abstract

Marital quality in connection to its demographical and psychological correlates has been studied extensively in the West. In India also, it has been given considerable attention, but adequate exploration of relevant psychological variables is still wanting. The present study was conceptualized in this context to explore differences in the Personality factors, Attachment styles and Coping strategies in couples with good and poor marital quality. Data were collected from 90 couples for initial screening. Finally 20 couples with good marital quality and 20 couples with poor marital quality were selected based on scores of Marital Quality Scale. The tools used for screening were Marital Quality Scale and General Health Questionnaire-28. Other tools consisted of Neo Five Factor Inventory, Attachment style Questionnaire, and Coping Check list. Analysis revealed that the husbands with poor marital quality had higher neuroticism, less extraversion, less secure attachment style, less problem focused coping and acceptance, and greater denial than those with good marital quality. Wives with poor marital quality differed significantly from the wives with good marital quality in terms of less religious coping, acceptance and social support. The findings of the study may be utilized for advising maritally distressed couples by enhancing their coping resources and utilizing attachment potentials for furtherance of quality of married life.

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  1. Department of Applied Psychology, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, India

    Sangeeta Banerjee & Jayanti Basu

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  1. Sangeeta Banerjee
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  2. Jayanti Basu
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Correspondence to Sangeeta Banerjee.

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Banerjee, S., Basu, J. Personality Factors, Attachment Styles and Coping Strategies in Couples with Good and Poor Marital Quality. Psychol Stud 59, 59–67 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12646-013-0233-7

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