Pessimism about Marriage as a Mediator Between Insecure Attachment and Marriage Age in Children of Divorced Parents: A Structural Equation Model
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Objective: This study aims to examine how pessimism about marriage serves as a mediator in the connection between insecure attachment and the age at which young people marry after experiencing divorce.
Methods and Materials: This study employed a descriptive-correlational research design and structural equation modeling (SEM) approach. The statistical population for this study consisted of all young males and females in Tehran, specifically those between July and November 2023. A sample of 252 young individuals with divorced parents was selected using purposive sampling. The instruments included the Revised Adult Attachment Scale and the Optimism Questionnaire, developed by Shier and Carver (1985). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 and SmartPLS version 3 software.
Findings: The results showed that pessimism about marriage has a significant impact on delaying the marriage age of young individuals (β = 0.318, p < 0.001). Similarly, avoidant attachment style also contributes to an increase in the marriage age of young people (β=0.673, p<0.001). Additionally, both avoidant and anxious attachments are positively associated with pessimism about marriage. Furthermore, feeling anxious about marriage due to pessimism leads to a higher marriage age among young people (β=0.195, p<0.001). Similarly, avoidant attachment due to pessimism about marriage also leads to a delay in the marriage age of young individuals (β=0.095, p=0.001).
Conclusion: It can be concluded that pessimism about marriage and a tendency to avoid attachment lead to a delay in marriage among young individuals following divorce. Additionally, both avoidant and anxious attachment styles contribute to pessimism, which in turn has a positive impact on prolonging the age at which young people get married.
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