Psychological Mechanisms of Marital Resilience in Coping with Marital Life Crises
Keywords:
Marital resilience, marital crisis, emotion regulation, couple communication, dyadic coping, family psychologyAbstract
This study aimed to identify and conceptualize the core psychological mechanisms underlying couples’ resilience when confronting marital life crises. A qualitative review design was employed. Data were collected through a systematic analysis of 17 peer-reviewed articles in the fields of family psychology, couple therapy, and marital resilience. Articles were selected using theoretical purposive sampling until theoretical saturation was achieved. Thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo 14, following open, axial, and selective coding procedures. Three overarching themes emerged: intrapersonal psychological regulation (including cognitive flexibility, emotion regulation, meaning-making, self-efficacy, and psychological endurance), dyadic interactional processes (including emotional responsiveness, constructive communication, mutual trust, conflict negotiation skills, and dyadic coping alignment), and contextual and relational resources (including social support, post-crisis learning, role flexibility, relational commitment stability, and spiritual–cultural anchoring). Marital resilience is a dynamic systemic construct shaped by the continuous interaction of individual, relational, and contextual mechanisms, and strengthening these interconnected processes substantially enhances couples’ capacity to adapt successfully to marital crises.
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