Pessimism About Marriage as a Mediator Between Insecure Attachment Styles and Marriage Age in Children of Divorced Parents: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach
Objective: This study investigates how pessimism about marriage mediates the relationship between insecure attachment styles—specifically avoidant and anxious attachment—and the age of marriage in young adults from divorced families.
Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational design was used. The sample included 252 young men and women in Tehran, aged 18 to 30, whose parents were divorced. Participants were recruited via purposive sampling from counseling centers and online platforms between July and November 2023. Data collection instruments included the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS) and Scheier and Carver’s Optimism Questionnaire (1985), using only its pessimism dimension. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS 3.0 and SPSS 27 was applied. Mediating effects were tested via the Sobel test and bootstrapping.
Findings: Avoidant attachment directly predicted delayed marriage age (β = 0.673, p < 0.001), while anxious attachment showed no direct effect (β = -0.086, p = 0.317). Both avoidant (β = 0.300) and anxious attachment (β = 0.614) significantly predicted pessimism about marriage (p < 0.001). In turn, pessimism significantly predicted increased marriage age (β = 0.318, p < 0.001). Mediated effects were also significant for both avoidant (β = 0.095) and anxious attachment (β = 0.195). Model fit indicators (AVE > 0.66, CR > 0.88, Q² > 0.77) confirmed reliability and predictive relevance.
Conclusion: Pessimism about marriage mediates the impact of insecure attachment on delayed marital timing among children of divorced parents. Targeted psychosocial interventions could help mitigate pessimism and improve relational outcomes in this population.
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