Marital Satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates: Development and Validation of a Culturally Relevant Scale

Fatima Rashed Al-Darmaki, Sofoh H. Hassane, Shaima Ahammed, Abdullah Seif Abdullah, Saad Ibrahim Yaaqeib, Hamzeh Dodeen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

20 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Marital satisfaction is a culturally bound construct influenced by many traditional family values and processes. Research on marital satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates is very limited perhaps due to unavailability of a culturally relevant scale. In this study, the Emirati Marital Satisfaction Scale (EMSS) was constructed and validated based on a community sample of 407 Emirati married men and women. The 30-item unidimensional EMSS was found to have high construct validity and internal consistency reliability estimates. The validity of the EMSS was supported by the positive correlations between marital satisfaction and life satisfaction and self-esteem. Men reported higher level of marital satisfaction than women. Demographic variables such as religious commitment and living location affect marital satisfaction in the Emirates. Implications for research and practice were provided.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1703-1729
Number of pages27
JournalJournal of Family Issues
Volume37
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 1 2016

Keywords

  • Emirati Marital Satisfaction Scale
  • UAE culture
  • marital satisfaction
  • marriage in UAE
  • satisfaction with life
  • state self-esteem

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Social Sciences (miscellaneous)

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Marital Satisfaction in the United Arab Emirates: Development and Validation of a Culturally Relevant Scale'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this