Future Study of Psychological Factors Affecting Youth Marriage in 2040: An Iranian Development Perspective

Abstract: The purpose of this study was to explore the psychological factors affecting youth marriage in the perspective of development of Iran in 2040. The present research is in terms of purpose is an applied and in terms of data collection is a descriptive study using Delphi method. The statistical population included all experts in the field of marriage issues. The mentioned specialists have been experts in the fields of marriage counseling, marriage psychology, divorce counseling, marriage sociology, etc. Based on theoretical and practical considerations, 20 experienced marriage experts were identified and interviewed in different cities of Iran, which theoretical saturation was yielded after 20 interviews. Semi-structured interviews, a researcher made scale based on expert opinions and a questionnaire of basic uncertainties were used to collect data. All three tools have been developed by researchers and its validity and reliability were evaluated and confirmed in the present study. In order to describe the data, descriptive statistics including frequency, central indices and dispersion indices were used and Friedman ranking test was used to examine the research questions. Based on the results and in terms of importance, the individual-psychological components affecting future youth marriage have been as follows: mutual understanding, couple attachment style, cognitive flexibility, parenting style, intellectual maturity, married life knowledge and self-awareness. In general, the findings of the present study can help youth marriage-related institutions in designing future plans.