Structural Modeling of the Relationship Between Family Cohesion and Fear of Marriage: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem Among University Students Approaching Marriage
Keywords:
Family Cohesion, Fear of Marriage, Self-Esteem, Marriage, University StudentsAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to develop and test a structural model of the relationship between family cohesion and fear of marriage, with self-esteem examined as a potential mediating variable among university students approaching marriage.
Methods and Materials: This descriptive-correlational study employed structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of university students approaching marriage who were enrolled at the Science and Research, North Tehran, and Central Tehran branches of Islamic Azad University during the 2025–2026 academic year. A total of 322 students were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Fear of Marriage Questionnaire developed by Richard et al. (2007), Olson’s Family Cohesion Questionnaire (1999), and Eysenck’s Self-Esteem Questionnaire (1976). The hypothesized structural model and direct and indirect relationships among the study variables were analyzed using AMOS software and structural equation modeling.
Findings: The proposed structural model demonstrated an acceptable overall fit to the observed data (CMIN/DF = 2.90, RMSEA = 0.099, GFI = 0.940, NFI = 0.930, TLI = 0.910, and IFI = 0.950). Family cohesion had a positive and statistically significant direct effect on self-esteem (β = 0.97, P < 0.001). However, the direct effect of self-esteem on fear of marriage was not statistically significant (β = 0.061, P = 0.846). Similarly, the direct effect of family cohesion on fear of marriage was nonsignificant (β = 0.030, P = 0.328). Bootstrap analysis further indicated that the indirect effect of family cohesion on fear of marriage through self-esteem was not significant (effect = 0.019, P = 0.738, 95% CI [−0.126, 0.200]).
Conclusion: Family cohesion appears to be an important positive predictor of self-esteem among students approaching marriage; however, neither family cohesion nor self-esteem significantly predicted fear of marriage in the proposed structural model. Furthermore, self-esteem did not significantly mediate the relationship between family cohesion and fear of marriage, suggesting that other individual, relational, or sociocultural mechanisms may better explain variations in marriage-related fear.
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