The mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between personality traits and marital satisfaction

Abstract

Introduction: The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of self-esteem in the relationship between personality traits and marital satisfaction among married students of Islamic Azad University, South Tehran Branch.
Method: 267 married students (130 men and 137 women) were selected using a random cluster sampling method and answered the Olson Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire, the Short Form of the Big Five, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the results were analyzed using correlation and path analysis.
Results: The results of Pearson correlation showed that self-esteem and marital satisfaction have a negative relationship with neuroticism and a positive relationship with extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Also, based on the results of the path analysis test, self-esteem has a mediating role in the relationship between neuroticism, openness, conscientiousness, and agreeableness and marital satisfaction, but it does not have a mediating role in the relationship between extraversion and marital satisfaction.
Discussion and Conclusion: The results showed that 17% of the variance in self-esteem can be explained by personality traits, and personality traits and self-esteem can explain 36% of the variance in marital satisfaction. The findings showed that personality traits have an indirect effect on marital satisfaction through self-esteem. These findings emphasize the importance of the role of personality traits and self-esteem in predicting marital satisfaction.