The Role of Psychological Capital and Trust in Predicting Marital Intimacy among Married Individuals in Pakistan
Keywords:
Marital intimacy, psychological capital, trust, marital relationships, positive psychologyAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the predictive roles of psychological capital and trust in determining levels of marital intimacy among married individuals in Pakistan.
Methods and Materials: A correlational descriptive research design was employed to explore the relationships among psychological capital, trust, and marital intimacy. The study sample consisted of 410 married participants (196 males and 214 females) selected through a simple random sampling method based on the Morgan and Krejcie table. Participants completed three standardized instruments: the Marital Intimacy Scale (Waring & Reddon, 1983), the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ-24) (Luthans et al., 2007), and the Dyadic Trust Scale (Larzelere & Huston, 1980). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 through Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression to determine the direction and strength of relationships between the variables.
Findings: The results indicated strong positive correlations between marital intimacy and both psychological capital (r = .68, p < .001) and trust (r = .72, p < .001). The regression model predicting marital intimacy was statistically significant (F(2, 407) = 345.27, p < .001), explaining 63% of the variance (R² = .63). Both psychological capital (β = .38, p < .001) and trust (β = .49, p < .001) were significant predictors of marital intimacy. These results demonstrate that individuals with higher psychological resources and greater trust in their partners reported stronger emotional, cognitive, and relational closeness.
Conclusion: Psychological capital and trust significantly and positively predict marital intimacy, underscoring the importance of both internal psychological strengths and interpersonal trust in maintaining healthy, satisfying marital relationships. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing optimism, resilience, and mutual trust may effectively strengthen marital bonds.
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References
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