Mediating Role of Self-silencing and Depression in relationship between Attachment Styles and Marital Adjustment

Abstract

Attachment style is an important phenomenon which affects interpersonal relationship. The aim of the present study is to explore the mediating role of Self-silencing and Depression in relationship between Attachment Styles and Marital Adjustment. The variables were measured through instruments Silencing the Self Scale (Naheed & Ghayas, 2014), Experience in Close Relationship (Iqbal, 2007), Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Naseer, 2000) and Siddique Shah Depression Scale SSDS (1992) was used in this study. The study was divided into three phases. Phase I (N=10) was the try out. Phase II (N=60 ) aimed at establishing the psychometric properties of the instruments. Phase III was the main study which included structural validation of the instrument and hypothesis testing. The main study was carried out on (N=441) married individuals from Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The finding indicated that resulting behaviors of attachment related avoidance is negatively and significantly related to marital adjustment but on the other hand resulting behaviors of anxious attachment style was not found to be significant. Resulting behaviors of Attachment Styles and Self-silencing is positively and significantly related. There is a positive and significant relationship between Resulting behaviors of Attachment Styles and Depression and also pointed out that depression and marital adjustment is negatively and significantly related. The finding suggested that Individuals having avoidance attachment style have scored low on marital adjustment. Findings of the study also revealed that there is no significant relationship between Self-silencing and Marital Adjustment. The mediating role of self-silencing was not found. It was revealed that depression mediated the relationship between resuting behaviors of attachment styles and marital adjustment. It was indicated that women have a high score on Self-silencing as compare to men and men were high on Marital Adjustment than women. The results of the study were discussed in the light of relevant literature.