Am. J. Life. Sci. Res. Vol. 1, Issue 4, , 2013

Transcription

1 2013, World of Researches Publication Am. J. Life. Sci. Res. Vol. 1, Issue 4, , 2013 American Journal of Life Science Researches The Study of the Relationship between Life Skills, Psychological Well-Being and Couples Marital Adjustment in Bandar Abbas HamidReza Kamali Khorgo* Hossien Zainalipour and Eghbal Zarei Hormozgan University, Bandar Abbas, Iran *Corresponding Author: Abstract: This study examined the relationship between life skills, psychological well-being and Couple Compatibility in Bandar Abbas. The research used a descriptive correlation method. The study was conducted between 2012 and 2013.The population of the study included only those couples who were married for 20 to 40 years. Using Cochran formula, 150 subjects were randomly selected for the study. We also used life-skills questionnaires to measured Reef s psychological well-being and ENRICH s Marital Satisfaction scale. The results of the data analysis are as follows : There is a relationship between marital and life skills. There is a relationship between psychological well-being and marital compatibility. There are simple and multiple interrelationships between the life skill components and the marital compatibility. There are simple and multiple interrelationships between psychological well-being components and the marital compatibility. There are simple and multiple interrelationships between life skills and the marital compatibility. Keywords : Life skills, Psychological Well-being and Marital Compatibility INTRODUCTION Human beings develop psychologically, socially, physically, sexually, occupationally, cognitively, ethically and emotionally. Each of these areas involves skill and ability. In fact, it can be said that evolvement of developmental stages depends on life skills 1. Possessing life skills may play an effective role in reducing marital conflicts. In fact, the term "life skills" is referred to a wide group of psychosocial and interpersonal skills which help individuals make informed decisions, communicate effectively, expand their personal management and coping skills, and lead a healthy and productive life 2. Mental health and psychological well-being of a family are among factors which may affect couples' marital satisfaction; they originate from the couple's affective relationships and are mutual 3. Psychological well-being is defined as a positive feeling and a general satisfaction with life which includes both the individual and others in different areas of family, career, and etc3. Marital adjustment affects different aspects of individuals' personal and social life. In fact, it is the foundation of well-functioning of the family and facilitates the parental role 4, makes life more satisfying, and leads to better conflict management, problem solving communication skills and conflict resolution skills. 200

2 The Study of the Relationship between Life Skills, Psychological Considering the role of marital relationship in the concept of mental health, defining the effective factors of marital satisfaction may be an important step in the area of marital relationships. Marital adjustment affects the quality of parental performance, levels of longevity, health, life satisfaction, loneliness, fostering children, children's development and social relationships. Ahromian et al. 5 conducted a study, called "effectiveness of training of the group solution-focused therapy on happiness and marital adjustment of couples referring to family counseling centers in Bushehr", which showed that the solutionfocused therapy significantly promotes happiness and marital adjustment. The results of the study of Mehrabi zadeh Honarmand et al. 6 showed that, with or without controlling the duration of the marriage, life skills training may promote the marital adjustment of married women of the experimental group, in comparison with the control group. Ebrahimi and Jan Bozorgi 7 conducted a study, called "the relationship between communication skills and marital satisfaction", which showed that the increase of communication skills may lead to the increase of marital satisfaction. Given that till now research has only addressed the impact of one of these skills, the difference between this study and other studies is that it addresses the mutual effect of life skills and psychological well-being; hence it will add to the current knowledge. Accordingly, the aim of the current study is to figure out the relationship between communication skills, psychological well-being and marital adjustment, as well as answering the following questions: (a) is there a relationship between life skills and marital adjustment? (b) Is there a relationship between psychological well-being and marital adjustment? (c) Is there a relationship between life skill components and marital adjustment? (d) Is there a relationship between psychological well-being components and marital adjustment? (e) Is there a relationship between life skills and psychological well-being and marital adjustment? MATERIALS AND METHODS This is a descriptive-correlational study which aims at describing, explaining and figuring out the problem through statistical results. The statistical population of this study includes all married couples in Bandar Abbas, who are living together for 1-20 years. The sample size of 150 was obtained using Cochran formula. The sample was chosen through simple random sampling. Life Skills Inventory (LSI), Ryff Psychological Well-being Test and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale were used in this study. Life Skills Inventory (LSI): this questionnaire consists of 144 questions which assess 19 sub-scales. The questions are based on a Likert scale of 1-5. A higher score stands for higher skills and a lower score stands for lower skills. A comparison in this study led to the Cronbach's alpha with a degree of Using the Cronbach's coefficient alpha, the reliability of this questionnaire (the 64- question version) was

3 Kamali Khorgo et al., 2013 The Psychological Well-being Test was developed by Ryff in Its original version consists of 120 questions, but shorter 84, 50, and 18-question versions were developed in further studies. The psychological well-being scales include 6 sub-scales of self-acceptance, positive relations, autonomy, and purpose in life, personal growth, and environment mastery. Higher scores indicate better psychological well-being. Several studies have reported an appropriate validity and reliability for the scales of psychological well-being. The internal consistency of the scales of psychological well-being was reported between 0.82 and 0.90 by Ryff 8. In this study, the reliability of the mentioned questionnaire (the 50-question version) was The ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale consists of 47, 5-option questions which ranges from strongly agree to strongly disagree. Different studies have shown a satisfactory validity and reliability for this inventory 9. In the current study, using the Cronbach's coefficient alpha, the reliability of this questionnaire was After preparing the questionnaires and providing professors' approval, we referred to the couples of Bandar Abbas. At the beginning of the process, necessary explanations in terms of the study, its objectives, its results and, particularly, its impacts on the society were provided for the participants. Then, 170 questionnaires were distributed among the participants. The data were managed by SPSS system. RESULTS Hypothesis 1: life skills predict marital adjustment. Multiple linear regressions with stepwise method were used to examine the hypothesis. Table1. Variables accepted in stepwise regression procedure in order of priority Step Accepted variable Eliminated variable Stepwise method 1 Self-awareness skill training 2 Effective human relations skills 0 Stepwise regression 0 Stepwise regression 3 Creative thinking skill 0 Stepwise regression The above table shows those variables which were entered into the stepwise regression procedure according to the order of their entrance from step 1 to 3. In this method, each variable is individually added to the variable(s) of the previous step. The inclusive criterion for variables has been the probability of 0.100>F>

4 The Study of the Relationship between Life Skills, Psychological According to the probability of F, variables of interpersonal relationships, stress coping skills, decision making and critical thinking have been eliminated. Table2. Correlation coefficient R, coefficient of determination, standard error of the stepwise regression Step Coefficient R Coefficient of determination (R 2) Adjusted coefficient of determination Standard error a b c a. Predictors: Self-awareness skill training b. Predictors: Self-awareness skill training, Effective human relations skills c. Predictors: Self-awareness skill training, Effective human relations skills, Creative thinking skill This table suggests that which combination may be the most effective one in predicting the dependent variable of "marital adjustment" by combining the variables (3 components), and that how effective each combination is. Coefficient of determination of each step has been presented in this table in an ascending order and it ranges from to The first step (letters a-c have been allocated to each step) and the last step include one and three variables, respectively. Table3. ANOVA for stepwise regression of the 3 steps Step Sum of squares Degrees of freedom Mean Square 1 Regression a Residual Regression b Residual Regression c Residual a. Predictors: Self-awareness skill training b. Predictors: Self-awareness skill training, Effective human relations skills c. Predictors: Self-awareness skill training, Effective human relations skills, Creative thinking skill d. Dependent variable: marital adjustment F Sig. The results of the ANOVA for stepwise regression of the three steps have been shown in the above table. F values are significant at p <0.001; therefore, the resulted relationship has been the best linear combination of the predictor variables of each step and the dependent variable (marital adjustment).

5 Kamali Khorgo et al., 2013 Table4. β coefficients, t values, and significance level for stepwise regression step Nonstandardized coefficients Regression coefficient β Standard error Standardized coefficients 1 Invariant Self-awareness skill training Invariant Self-awareness skill training Effective human relations skills Invariant Self-awareness skill training Effective human relations skills Creative thinking skill a. Dependent variable: Marital adjustment β T Sig. The β coefficient is used to determine the regression equation; this coefficient has been determined for each step and its significance level shows that all variables of all three steps are significant. In step 1: the component of "self-awareness skill training" is a positive predictor with β = and it is able to predict 25.6% of the variance of the dependent variable of marital adjustment. In step 2: the component of "selfawareness skill training" is a positive predictor with β = and the component of "effective human relations skills" is a negative predictor with β = and it is able to predict 21.7% of the variance of the dependent variable of marital adjustment. In step 3: the component of "self-awareness skill training" is a positive predictor with β = and the component of "effective human relations skills" is a negative predictor with β = 0.237, and the component of "creative thinking skill" is a negative predictor with β = and it is able to predict 26.5% of the variance of the dependent variable of marital adjustment. Hypothesis 2: there is a relationship between psychological well-being and marital adjustment. Multiple linear regressions with stepwise method were used to examine the hypothesis. 204

6 The Study of the Relationship between Life Skills, Psychological Table5. Variables accepted in stepwise regression procedure in order of priority Step Accepted variable Eliminated variable Stepwise method 1 Personal growth 0 Stepwise regression 2 Autonomy 0 Stepwise regression 3 Purpose in life 0 Stepwise regression The above table shows those variables which were entered into the stepwise regression procedure according to the order of their entrance from step 1 to 3. In this method, each variable is individually added to the variables of the previous step. The inclusive criterion for variables has been the probability of 0.100>F>0.05. According to the probability of F, variables of positive relations, environment mastery, decision making and personal growth have been eliminated. Table6. Correlation coefficient R, coefficient of determination, standard error of the stepwise regression Step Coefficient R Coefficient of determination (R 2) Adjusted coefficient of determination Standard error a b c a. Predictors: Personal growth b. Predictors: Personal growth, Autonomy c. Predictors: Personal growth, Personal growth, Autonomy, Purpose in life This table suggests that which combination may be the most effective one in predicting the dependent variable (marital adjustment) by combining the variables (3 components), and that how effective each combination is. Coefficient of determination of each step has been presented in this table in an ascending order and it ranges from 0.96 to The first step (letters a-c have been allocated to each step) and the last step include one and three variables, respectively.

7 Kamali Khorgo et al., 2013 Table7. ANOVA for stepwise regression of the 3 steps Step Sum of squares Degrees of freedom Mean Square 1 Regression a Residual Regression b Residual Regression c Residual a. Predictors: Personal growth b. Predictors: Personal growth, Autonomy c. Predictors: Personal growth, Autonomy, Purpose in life d. Dependent variable: marital adjustment F Sig. The results of the ANOVA for stepwise regression of the three steps have been shown in the above table. F values are significant at p <0.001; therefore, the resulted relationship has been the best linear combination of the predictor variables of each step and the dependent variable (marital adjustment). Table8. β coefficients, t values, and significance level for stepwise regression step Nonstandardized coefficients Regression coefficient β Standard error Standardized coefficients 1 Invariant Personal growth Invariant Personal growth Autonomy Invariant Personal growth Autonomy Purpose in life a. Dependent variable: Marital adjustment β T Sig. The β coefficient is used to determine the regression equation; this coefficient has been determined for each step and its significance level shows that all variables of all three steps are significant. In step 1: the component of "personal growth" is a negative predictor with β = and it is able to predict 9.6% of the variance of the dependent variable of marital adjustment. In step 2: the component of "personal growth" is a negative predictor with β = and the component 206

8 The Study of the Relationship between Life Skills, Psychological of "autonomy" is a negative predictor with β = and it is able to predict 14.5% of the variance of the dependent variable of marital adjustment. In step 3: the component of "personal growth" is a negative predictor with β = and the component of "autonomy" is a negative predictor with β = 0.228, and the component of "purpose in life" is a negative predictor with β = and it is able to predict 15.7% of the variance of the dependent variable of marital adjustment. DISCUSSION Data analysis showed that life skills, as a predictor variable, may explain the marital adjustment. This finding is congruent with Zandian's finding 10 that showed life skills training may affect the prisoners' adjustment. Furthermore, the results of regression analysis show that the resulted relationship is the best possible linear combination between life skill components and the dependent variable of marital adjustment. Our results are congruent with the results of the previous studies 11, 12, 13. Hypothesis 4 suggested that psychological well-being components, as predictor variables, may explain the marital adjustment. Moreover, the results of regression analysis showed that the resulted relationship is the best possible linear combination between psychological well-being components and the dependent variable of marital adjustment. Hypothesis 5 suggested that life skills and psychological well-being, as predictor variables, may explain marital adjustment. On the other hand, studies of theories of happiness emphasize that tension reduction (eliminating pain and suffering and satisfying biological and psychological needs) may lead to happiness and well-being. So it can be concluded that greater adjustment and mental relaxation at home may be followed by greater happiness and welfare. According to the results of the current study, it's been suggested that life skills, psychological well-being and marital adjustment should be taught to couples. Furthermore, it's been suggested that future research examines the relationship between the 10 life skills and other variables such as life satisfaction, quality of life, etc. REFERENCES 1. Darden, C.A., Gazda, G. M. (1996). Life skills and mental health counseling. Journal of mental counseling, Karami, J., Zaki'ee, A., Alikhani, M. & Khodadai, A. (2012). The relationship between life skills and marital conflicts, and couples' mental health. Journal of Counseling and Family Therapy, first year, No. 4, spring. 3. Sadeghi, S. (2009). Study of the relationship between optimism and psychological well-being and coping styles in undergraduate students, Journal of Family Therapy Techniques, No Ahmadi, KH., Fat'hi Ashtiani, A. & Navabi Nejad, Sh. (2005). The study of underlying-personal and communicational-mutual factors affecting marital adjustment. Journal of Family Research, 1(3). 5. Ahromian, A., Sodani, M. & Hpssain pour, M. (2010). Effectiveness of training of the group solution-focused therapy on happiness and marital adjustment of

9 Kamali Khorgo et al., 2013 couples referring to family counseling centers in Bushehr. Consultation Research, No. 9, winter. 6. Mehrabi zadeh Honarmand, M., Hossain pour, M. & Mehdi zadeh, L. (2010). The effectiveness of life skills training on increase of marital adjustment in year-old married women. Journal of Learning and Teaching Studies (the ex- Journal of humanities and social sciences), 2nd period, number one, spring and summer of Ebrahimi, A. & Jan Bozorgi, M. (2008). The relationship between communication skills and marital satisfaction. Journal of Psychology and Religion, No. 2, summer. 8. Ryff, C.D. & Singer, B. (2002). The contours of positive human health. Psychological Inquiry, Chelipanlou, G. (2002). Study of couples' mental happiness and marital satisfaction. Master dissertation, Islamic Azad University of Shiraz. 10. Zandian, B. (2009). The effectiveness of life skills on prisoners' adjustment and control of negative emotions in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Master dissertation of general psychology, Islamic Azad University of Khorasgan. 11. Keyes, C.L.M. (2005). Subjective well-being in mental health and human development research, Washington. 12. Lee, Y.J. (2008). "Subjective quality of life measurement in Taipei". Building and Environment, 43: Ryan, R.M. & Deci, E.L. (2001). To be happy or to be self-fulfilled: A review of research on hedonic and eudaimonic well-being. In S. Fiske (Ed. ), Annual Review of Psychology, 52: