Relationship between emotional expression and marital maladjustment: the mediating role of empathy in divorce applicants

This study aimed to evaluate causal explanation of the relationship between emotional expression and marital maladjustment based on the mediating role of empathy in divorce stage couples. This research conducted through a descriptive method and the study design was correlation in the form of path analysis. The statistical population consisted all couples applied for divorce (aged 30-50) who referred to the counseling centers of the Judiciary in Tehran during2020-2021. The sample size determined 396 cases and selected through convenience sampling method. In order to collect the information, standard questionnaires of marital maladjustment, couple empathy, and emotional expression were used. Data's analyzed in the SPSS 21 and AMOS 24 software's. Data analysis showed the model fit of emotional expression relationship with marital maladjustment by mediated role of couple's empathy. The model explained about 34% of the variance of marital maladjustment in divorce applicants. Based on these findings, it can be said that the relationship between marital maladjustment and emotional expression is not a direct relationship and factors such as marital empathy can strengthen or weaken this relationship, so in trainings related to emotional expression, it is suggested to consider these variables.