Explaining the Intergenerational Processes of Emotional Trauma Transmission in Couples with Chronic Conflict: A Grounded Theory Study

Abstract

This study aimed to explain the intergenerational processes through which emotional trauma is transmitted among couples with chronic conflict and to develop a grounded theoretical model of emotional injury reproduction in marital relationships. This qualitative study was conducted using a grounded theory approach. The participants consisted of 24 individuals, including 12 married couples with chronic marital conflict living in Tehran, Iran. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling followed by theoretical sampling. Inclusion criteria included at least three years of marital life, persistent marital conflict during the previous six months, willingness to participate in in-depth interviews, and the ability to describe family-of-origin and marital experiences. Data were collected exclusively through semi-structured interviews. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. All interviews were recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed through open, axial, and selective coding with the assistance of NVivo software. Data analysis led to the emergence of five main categories: unresolved emotional legacy in the family of origin, reproduction of insecure attachment patterns in the marital relationship, transmission of maladaptive emotion regulation styles, activation of chronic conflict cycles, and inability to reconstruct the meaning of the relationship. The core category was “reproduction of the emotional injury cycle within the marital relationship.” The findings indicated that many couples unconsciously transferred patterns such as silence, criticism, avoidance, emotional withdrawal, controlling behavior, or explosive anger from their families of origin into their current marital relationship. Chronic marital conflict is not merely the result of present disagreements; rather, it often reflects the continuation of unresolved emotional injuries, insecure attachment patterns, and emotion regulation styles learned in the family of origin. Therefore, couple therapy interventions for chronically conflicted couples should move beyond surface-level communication training and focus on identifying, processing, and reconstructing intergenerational patterns of emotional trauma.