Islamic Quality of Life and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation as Predictors of Marital Intimacy

Authors

  • Atefeh Nezhad Mohamad Nameghi Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran
  • Masoumeh Safari Islamic Azad University, Karaj, Iran

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.30762/jiss.v4i1.3706

Keywords:

Difficulties in emotion regulation, Family policy, Islamic quality of life, Large Muslim families, Marital intimacy

Abstract

Marital intimacy is one of the fundamental pillars of family stability in Muslim societies, particularly in large families that face multiple economic, emotional, and parenting challenges. The present study aimed to examine the role of difficulties in emotion regulation and Islamic quality of life in predicting marital intimacy among large Muslim families with more than four children. This applied study employed a descriptive–correlational design. The statistical population consisted of parents with more than four children who resided in Abyek County in 2025. A total of 120 participants were recruited using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Marital Intimacy Questionnaire (Bagarozzi, 2001), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (Gratz & Roemer, 2004), and the Islamic Quality of Life Questionnaire (Nezhadmohamad Nameghi et al., 2019). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that difficulties in emotion regulation had a significant negative relationship with marital intimacy, whereas Islamic quality of life showed a significant positive relationship with marital intimacy. The regression model revealed that these two variables jointly explained 36% of the variance in marital intimacy. The findings suggest that marital intimacy in large Muslim families emerges from the interaction between emotion regulation skills and spiritual–cultural resources grounded in an Islamic lifestyle. These results highlight the distinctiveness of the Islamic model of well-being compared to secular models and may contribute to the development of family-oriented policies and programs aimed at strengthening marital intimacy in Muslim societies.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Aycan, S. (2024). Construction of an Islamically integrated psychological well-being model. Journal of Muslim Mental Health, 18(1), 3. https://doi.org/10.3998/jmmh.6026

Azmoude, E., Barati-Far, S., Behnam, H., & Aradmehr, M. (2019). Socio-demographic and religious factors affecting fertility rate among childbearing women in Eastern Iran: A population-based study. Journal of Midwifery and Reproductive Health, 7(1), 1560–1566. https://doi.org/10.22038/jmrh.2018.17015.1307

Bagarozzi, D. A. (2001). Enhancing intimacy in marriage: A clinician’s guide. Routledge

Borjali, A., Sohrabi, F., Sekandari, H., Moatamedy, A., & Fallah, A. (2018). An investigation into the relationship between Islamic lifestyle and marital satisfaction with the mediation of optimism. Studies in Islam and Psychology, 12(22), 43–62. https://doi.org/10.30471/psy.2018.1485

Damari, B., Masoudi Farid, H., Hajebi, A., Derakhshannia, F., & Ehsani-Chimeh, E. (2022). Divorce indices, causes, and implemented interventions in Iran. IJPCP, 28(1), 76–89. http://ijpcp.iums.ac.ir/article-1-3262-fa.html [In Persian]

Dennis, J. P., & Vander Wal, J. S. (2010). The Cognitive Flexibility Inventory: Instrument development and estimates of reliability and validity. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 34(3), 241–253. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10608-009-9276-4

Diener, E., Oishi, S., & Tay, L. (2018). Advances in subjective well-being research. Nature Human Behaviour, 2(4), 253–260. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-018-0307-6

Ebadirad, S. M., Zahrakar, K., & Mohsenzadeh, F. (2023). Investigating factors related to marital satisfaction in Iranian society: A meta-synthesis. Iranian Journal of Family Psychology, 10(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijfp.2023.1989983.1205

Genet, J. J., & Siemer, M. (2011). Flexible control in processing affective and non-affective material predicts individual differences in trait resilience. Emotion, 11(4), 929–935. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0020476

Gratz, K. L., & Roemer, L. (2004). Multidimensional assessment of emotion regulation and dysregulation: Development, factor structure, and initial validation of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 26(1), 41–54

Janbaz, N., Bashiri, Z., Zein-e-Alabedini, S., & Aghaian, L. (2023). Investigating the relationship between Islamic lifestyle and marital satisfaction. Sixth International Conference on Psychology, Educational Sciences and Social Studies, Hamadan. https://civilica.com/doc/2115566 [In Persian]

Joshanloo, M. (2017). Islamic conceptions of well-being. In R. Estes and J. Sirgy (Eds.), The pursuit of human well-Being: The untold global history (pp. 109-131). Switzerland: Springer International Publishing

Kader H (2021), "Human well-being, morality and the economy: an Islamic perspective". Islamic Economic Studies, Vol. 28 No. 2 pp. 102–123, doi: https://doi.org/10.1108/IES-07-2020-0026

Kamali, Z., Allahyar, N., Ostovar, S., Alhabshi, S. M. S. M., & Griffiths, M. D. (2020). Factors that influence marital intimacy: A qualitative analysis of Iranian married couples. Cogent Social Sciences, 6(1), Article 1771118. https://doi.org/10.1080/23311908.2020.1771118

Khabazi, M., Kimiaee, S. A., Kareshki, H., & Mashhadi, A. (2022). The evaluation of the structural equation model of factors affecting marital intimacy in newlywed couples. Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences, 12(1), 83–102. https://doi.org/10.22108/cbs.2022.134270.1667

Khamse, A. and Hoseyniyan, S. (2008). Gender Differences between Intimacy Dimensions of Married College Students. Women's Studies Sociological and Psychological, 6(1), 35-52. doi: 10.22051/jwsps.2008.1287

Kermani Mamazandi, Z., & Tale’ Pasand, S. (2018). Psychometric properties of the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale among students of Semnan University. Educational Measurement and Evaluation Studies, 11(42), 117–142. https://journals.iau.ir/article_543435.html?lang=en [In Persian]

Khojasteh Mehr, R., Datli Bagi, M., & Abbaspour, Z. (2018). Examining the tolerance model with Islamic approach in the context of marital life. Iranian Journal of Family Psychology, 5(1), 57–70. https://doi.org/10.22034/ijfp.2018.245539

Kowal, M., Groyecka-Bernard, A., Kochan-Wójcik, M., & Sorokowski, P. (2021). When and how does the number of children affect marital satisfaction? An international survey. PLoS ONE, 16(4), e0249516. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249516

Ladier-Fouladi, M. (2021). The Islamic Republic of Iran’s new population policy and recent changes in fertility. Iranian Studies, 54(5–6), 907–930. https://doi.org/10.1080/00210862.2021.1884970

Mahmoudpour,A. , dehghanpour,S. , yoosefi,N. and Ejade,S. (2020). Predicting Women's Marital Intimacy Based on Mindfulness, Conflict Resolution Patterns, Perceived Social Support, and Social Well-being. Social Psychology Research, 10(39), 102-83. doi: 10.22034/spr.2020.228592.1463 [In Persian]

Mansouri, Hossein, (2021). The relationship between attachment styles and satisfaction with married life among men and women in Lamerd city, https://civilica.com/doc/1721910 [In Persian]

McRae, K., & Gross, J. J. (2020). Emotion regulation. Emotion, 20(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0000703

Mohamad, M. (2021). Introduction to the special issue “Marriage, intimacy, gender and Islam in Southeast Asia.” Religions, 12(7), 539. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12070539

Nezhadmohamad, Atefeh & Esmaeili, Masumeh & Borjali, Ahmad & Bagheri, Fariborz & Shafiabadi, Abdollah. (2019). Development and validation of Islamic quality of life questionnaire. Journal of Research and Health. 9. 97-103. 10.29252/jrh.9.2.97.

Pourmohseni-Kolouri, F., & Afsar, R. (2025). The relationship between fear of intimacy, paranoid thoughts, and marital problems: The mediating role of attachment styles. Clinical Psychology and Personality, 23(1), 111–122. https://doi.org/10.22070/cpap.2024.18919.1510 [In Persian]

Reyhani, R., Sodani, M., Farhadirad, H., & Khojastehmehr, R. (2022). Identifying the components of marital intimacy in stable marriages: Based on the grounded theory. Journal of Modern Psychological Researches, 17(65), 117–128. https://doi.org/10.22034/jmpr.2022.14917 [In Persian]

Safara, M., Lotfi, M., Pourshahriyary, M., & Solgi, M. (2019). Correlation between love and intimacy of couples with mental health of married women: Emphasizing the characteristics of Islamic lifestyle in marriage. Islamic Lifestyle with a Focus on Health, 3(2), 99–103.

Shareh, H., & Eshaghi Sani, M. (2019). Predictive role of morningness-eveningness personality, cognitive flexibility and cognitive emotion regulation in marital satisfaction in middle-aged women. IJPCP, 24(4), 384–399. http://ijpcp.iums.ac.ir/article-1-2776-fa.html [In Persian]

Simsek, M., & Phalet, K. (2024). Secular socialization vs. religious reactivity: effects of ethnic composition and discrimination on changing religiosity among Muslim youth. Ethnic and Racial Studies, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2024.2404250

Snopkowski, K., & Nelson, J. J. (2021). Fertility intentions and outcomes in Indonesia: Evolutionary perspectives on sexual conflict. Evolutionary human sciences, 3, e33. https://doi.org/10.1017/ehs.2021.27

Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2007). Using multivariate statistics (5th ed.). Pearson

Downloads

Published

06-08-2026

How to Cite

Mohamad Nameghi, A. N., & Safari, M. (2026). Islamic Quality of Life and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation as Predictors of Marital Intimacy . Journal of Islamic and Social Studies, 4(1), 9–22. https://doi.org/10.30762/jiss.v4i1.3706