The relationship between domestic violence and marital adjustment: The moderating role of marital virtues

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD in Family Counseling, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Educational Science and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Counseling, Faculty of Educational Science and Psychology, Shahid Chamran University of Ahvaz, Ahvaz, Iran

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between domestic violence and couple adjustment: the moderating role of marital virtues.
Methods:  The method of the present research is correlational. The statistical population of this study was all married women living in Bandar Mahshahr, from which 330 people participated in this study using a convenience sample. The data collection tools were the Domestic Violence Questionnaire, the Marital Adjustment Questionnaire (DAS) (Spiner, 1976), and the Marital Virtues Profile (MPV) (Fawcett et al., 2013). The collected data were analyzed using correlation analysis, moderation regression methods and AMOS software version 26.
Results: The findings showed that there is a direct and significant relationship between the research variables (P<0.01), However, indirect path coefficient of marital virtues in the relationship between domestic violence and marital adjustment is not significant (p =0.11). This finding aligns with previous research, underscoring the detrimental role of violence in couple relationships.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that in relationships characterized by violence, possessing virtues such as forgiveness or tolerance alone is insufficient to prevent the deterioration of marital adjustment, and other supportive and intervening factors must also be considered.

Keywords

References

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Journal of Family Relations Studies
Volume 6, Issue 3 - Serial Number 22
September 2026
Pages 47-55

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  • Receive Date: 22 July 2025
  • Revise Date: 12 October 2025
  • Accept Date: 15 October 2025

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