The Role of Abandonment Schema, Self–Other Overlap, and Negative Emotions in Predicting Marital Conflict

Abstract

Numerous variables, including emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal factors, may influence the level of marital conflict. The aim of this study was to determine the predicting role of abandonment schema, inclusion of others in self, and number of negative emotions in marital conflict. The participants were 212 married university students (analytic sample of N = 205). Different scales (Inclusion of Other in the Self, Young Schema Questionnaire Long-Form, Negative Emotion (NE), and Marital Conflict Questionnaire) were used in order to assess the intended marital conflict variables. Our findings demonstrated a positive and significant correlation between marital conflict and number of negative emotions. Moreover, our findings also demonstrated a positive association between marital conflict and early maladaptive abandonment schema. Further, the association between inclusion of the others in the self and marital conflict was statistically significant. In conclusion, the study showed that the number of negative emotions is the strongest predicting variable in relation to marital conflict. Thus, education on the emotion regulation strategies could be one efficacious way to decrease marital issues.