Author name:
زينب حياوي بديوي الخفاجي
Supervisor name:
بتول بناي زبيري
Abstract:
Mariage stability and continuity depend on understanding, adaptation, and adjustment between spouses. When a relationship is successful, it becomes a source of satisfaction for individuals; which make them feel belonging to the other part and give power to face hardships. When failed, it leads to unhappiness than could be imagined. Marital relationship goes without distress and obstacles. As a long - term relationship, marriage faces problems which may cause spouses feel frustrated with marital life. Thus, family disconnection constitutes great danger for spouses and offspring. So, spouses are confused because of problems about their disability to settle disputes as a result of deficits in personality such as neurotic perfectionism. Perfectionist spouses put high goals and expectations of self and others, and feel failure and distress when facing a difficulty in achieving them. So, it is negatively reflected on their marriage in addition to difficulties in emotional expression and inability to express emotions to partner, and causing marital distress. Thus, current study aimed at : - Identifying marital distress for a sample of spouses. - Identifying differences in marital distress according to sex, academic achievment, and duration of marriage variables. - alexithymia of the sample of spouses. - Identifying differences in alexithymia according to sex, academic achievement, and duration of marriage variables. - Neurotic perfectionism of the sample of spouses. - Identifying differences in neurotic perfectionism according to sex, academic achievement, and duration of marriage variables. - Identifying the relationship between marital distress, alexithymia, and neurotic perfectionism of the sample. - Identifying contribution of both neurotic perfectionism and alexithymia (independent variables) in marital distres (dependent variable).Research was applied on a sample of professors and employees in Basra university. They all were spouses of both sexes (males and females) during the academic year 2014 - 2015. As for theoretical framework, it was dealt with through the following three basic topics : 1 - Marital distress : concept, factors and interpreting theories. 2 - Alexithymia : concept, prevalence, distinctive features, and theories. 3 - Neurotic perfectionism : concept, types, dimensions; old and new trends of interpretation. Relational descriptive methodology was used to identify marital distress and relationship to neurotic perfectionism and alexithymia. For procedures, study was performed on applied (n= 410 respondents) and control sample (n= 400 respondents0 of spouses (teaching staff and employees). The sample was selected randomly from faculties and centres of the university. To achieve aims of the current research, a marital distress scale was prepared and applied on the sample. The scale consisted of (72) items distributed on six firlds (i.e. lack of communication, dissatisfaction, negative escalation, problem solving, lack of intimacy and love; and increased disagreements). In addition, neurotic perfectionism scale was built and applied. The scale consisted of (38) items distributed on three fields (i.e. self - oriented perfectionism, other - oriented perfectionism, and social perfectionism. Furthermore, Alexithymia scale was adapted. The scale consisted of (20) items distributed on three fields including difficulty of feelings description, difficulty of feelings identification, and thinking oriented outwards. The three scales (i.e. marital distress, neurotic perfectionism, and alexithymia) considered physical validity and structure validity indicators. In addition, stablity of the three scales were verified through re - test and Alfa internal consistency coefficient. To verify procedures and findings, the following statistical tools were used : Chi - square test, t - test for single sample, t - test for relationship significance coeefficient, three - way variance analysis, Scheffe test for multiple comparisons, Percentile weight, standardized error equation, Pearson relational co - efficient, multiple relational coefficient, and multiple liner slope. Current study findings were as follow : 1 - Research sample had higher than hypothetical average score of marital distress.2 - There are statistically significant differences at (0.05) level between degrees of the sample according to sex variable (in favor of females), and marriage duration (in favore of marriages more than 15 years). 3 - There are no statistically significant differences at (0.05) level between degrees of the sample according to academic achievement variable.4 - There is an interaction between sex and duration of marriage variables as effective in marital distress. 5 - There is no interaction between (sex and academic achievement), (duration of marriage and academic achievement), and (sex, academic achievement, and duration of marriage) as effective in marital distress.Moreover, it was found that : 1 - Research sample had higher level than hypothetical average score of neurotic perfectionism.2 - There are statistically significant differences at (0.05) level between degrees of the sample according to sex variable (in favor of females), and academic achievement (in favore of institutes).3 - There are no statistically significant differences at (0.05) level between degrees of the sample according to duration of marriage variable.4 - There is no interaction between (sex and academic achievement), (sex and duration of marriag), (duration of marriage and academic achievement), and (sex, academic achievement and duration of marriage) as effective in neurotic perfectionism.Additionally, it was found that : 1 - Research sample had higher than hypothetical average score of alexithymia.2 - There are statistically significant differences at (0.05) level between degrees of the sample according to sex variable (in favor of males).3 - There are no statistically significant differences at (0.05) level between degrees of the sample according to academic achievement variable and duration of marriage.4 - There is no interaction between (sex and academic achievement), (sex and duration of marriage), (duration of marriage and academic achievement) and (sex, academic achievement, and duration of marriage) as effective in alexithymia.Furthermore, it was found a significant positive relationship between marital distress and neurotic perfectionism; and significant positive relationship between marital distress and alexithymia. It was concluded that both neurotic perfectionism and alexithymia have statistically significant contributions to marital distress. However, neurotic perfectionism variable was the highest contribution, followed by alexithymia in predicting marital distress. The researcher interpreted and discussed findings in accordance with the adopted theory with each variable (i.e. marital distress, alexithymia and neurotic perfecrtionism). Findings were discussed along with findings of literature. Thus, the researcher concluded the contribution of the two independent variables (alexithymia and neurotic perfectionism) in marital distress of teaching staff and employees spouses encourages other researchers to study psychological and personal problems in following cases and experiments. In addition, research concluded several recommendations including the interest in marital coumselling during all stages of marriage through family counselling centres, mass media and family care centres to provide them with information about marriage and relationship improvement. At the end of study, the researcher suggested future studies including : building a counselling program to reduce neurotic perfectionism, alexithymia and marital distress for a sample of spouses.
