Journal of Woman and Family Studies

The mediating role of hope and resilience in the relationship between Corona phobia and Emotional intimacy of married women

Document Type : Research/Original/Regular

Author

Department of Psychology, Higher Education Center of Eghlid, Eghlid, Iran

Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the mediating role of hope and resilience in the relationship between corona phobia and emotional intimacy in married women. This descriptive study was of correlational. Population of the study included all married women in Shiraz in 1400. Of them, 300 people were selected using convenience sampling method and responded to the research tools, including Ahorso et al. (2020) Fear of Corona scale, Parental- Couple Intimacy Questionnaire (2006), Snyder et al. Adult Hope Scale (1991), and Conner and Davidson (2003) Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using Path analysis method. The results showed the life hope has a significant mediating role in the relationship between fear of corona and resilience. However, the life hope variable does not have a significant mediating role in the relationship between fear of corona and emotional intimacy. Also, resilience plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between fear of corona and emotional intimacy, life hope and emotional intimacy intimacy (β = 0.052, P = 0.012).. Based on the findings, it is necessary to intervene in regard to underlying factors such as hope and resilience that affect the intimate relationship between couples, to promote family and social harmony

Highlights

Background and purpose

The issues COVID-19 has impacted millions of individuals throughout the world since the World Health Organization designated it a worldwide pandemic on March 11, 2020. From the personal (e.g., death, acquiring CVID-19, mental health decline) to the economic (e.g., recession, financial insecurity, and bankruptcy) and social levels (e.g., isolation, inability to attend work or school, missing developmental milestones like graduation), this pandemic has profoundly and broadly impacted the world (Guo et al., 2020; Yao et al., 2020; Zhou et al., 2020). Adapting psychologically and altering one's lifestyle in order to cope with COVID-19 posed significant obstacles for many families and individuals. The stress burden resulting from this disease has had a negative impact on interpersonal relationships (such as marital conflict and domestic violence), and this perceived stress is due to the increase in the limits of care and its associated concerns (Guan et al., 2020). According to Milek et al. (2015), spending time together enhances intimacy when there is no intra-dyadic stress. It is unclear how COVID-19 and its control measures have impacted the dynamics and intimacy of the couple's relationships. Emotional intimacy involves communicating and sharing positive and negative emotions, such as happiness and boredom, with others. The significance of emotional closeness to the character of the couple's relationship cannot be overstated. Experts believe that following the occurrence of marital problems, intimacy is a crucial factor for dialogue and communication and a type of safeguard for future marital problems (Belater, 2015).

Numerous studies have demonstrated that a sense of life  hope and resilience have positive effects on the mental health and well-being of individuals (Verdolini et al., 2021; Prime et al., 2020; Pardeller et al., 2019; Ayed et al., 2019; Echezarraga et al., 2018; Bernstein et al., 2017) and serve as protective factors against adverse events. Therefore, it is essential to understand the relationships between the aforementioned variables in order to face the challenges of the current epidemic. This study aims to investigate the structural relationships between Corona phobia and emotional intimacy, with hope and resilience serving as potential mediators.

Method

In terms of data collection, the current research is a descriptive-correlational study using structural equation modeling for data analysis. The population consisted of all married women residing in Shiraz City in 2021, and 300 were chosen by convenience sampling to ensure statistical power and adequate sample size. The data were gathered using the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (Ahorsu et al., 2020), Couple's Intimacy Scale (Olia et al., 2006), Adult Hope Scale (Snyder et al., 1991), and Connor and Davidson's (2003) Resilience Scale.

Results

Figure 1 shows the estimated standard coefficients of the research model.

Figure 1. Estimated standardized coefficients between research variables

 

 

 

Table 2: Standardized indirect coefficients of the estimated structural model

Paths

Standard regression coefficient

SD

P-value

 

Corona phobia -> Hope -> Resilience

-.18

.03

.00

Corona phobia -> Hope -> Emotional intimacy

-.03

.02

.17

Hope -> Resilience -> Emotional intimacy

.18

.06

.00

Corona phobia -> Hope -> Resilience -> Emotional intimacy

-.04

.01

.01

Corona phobia -> Resilience -> Emotional intimacy

-.05

.02

.01
             

As shown in Table 5, hope significantly mediates the relationship between Corona phobia and resiliency (β = -0.18, p .00). The hope does not mediate the relationship between Corona phobia and emotional intimacy (β = -.03, p.17). Moreover, resilience mediates the relationship between hope and emotional intimacy (β =.18, p .00), between hope and emotional intimacy (β = -.04, p 0.01), and between Corona phobia and emotional intimacy (β = -.05, p.01).

Discussion and conclusion

The results of this study suggest that the relationship between Corona phobia and emotional intimacy is mediated by resilience. The study's results indicated that hope significantly mediates the relationship between Corona phobia and resilience. However, it is important to note that hope does not significantly mediate the relationship between Corona phobia and emotional intimacy. This finding highlights the significance of hope and resilience as key factors in enhancing individuals' positive characteristics and promoting their psychological well-being.

Keywords

Main Subjects

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Journal of Woman and Family Studies
Volume 11, Issue 1 - Serial Number 28
March 2023
Pages 128-155