The purpose of this study is to examine how conflict coping styles mediate the relationship between family-of-origin relational patterns and marital stability among married Christian women, and how this mediating effect is moderated by spiritual matur...
The purpose of this study is to examine how conflict coping styles mediate the relationship between family-of-origin relational patterns and marital stability among married Christian women, and how this mediating effect is moderated by spiritual maturity. For this purpose, a total of 330 married Christian women over the age of 20 participated in the study by responding to scales measuring family-of-origin relational patterns (experiences), marital stability, spiritual maturity, and conflict coping styles. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS Ver. 26.0 and the SPSS PROCESS MACRO Ver. 4.2.
The results revealed significant correlations among the main variables: family-of-origin relational patterns, marital stability, spiritual maturity, and conflict coping styles.
First, family-of-origin relational patterns were positively associated with marital stability, and showed a significant positive correlation with rational coping and the expression of negative emotions and behaviors. However, no significant relationship was found with avoidance coping. In relation to spiritual maturity, a significant negative correlation was observed in sub-factors reflecting overall family health.
Second, although family-of-origin relational patterns did not have a direct significant effect on marital stability, when conflict coping styles were introduced as a mediator, a full mediating effect was found to be significant.
Third, spiritual maturity had a significant moderating effect on the relationship between family-of-origin relational patterns and conflict coping styles, specifically in rational coping and the expression of negative emotions and behaviors. However, the moderating effect on avoidance coping was not significant. The Johnson-Neyman analysis confirmed the significance of conditional effects for moderation.
Fourth, a moderated mediation model was tested, verifying that the mediating effect of conflict coping styles between family-of-origin relational patterns and marital stability was significantly influenced by levels of spiritual maturity. This suggests that the impact of family-of-origin relational patterns on marital stability, through conflict coping styles, can vary depending on one’s level of spiritual maturity. An increase in family-of-origin relational patterns tended to lead to an increase in conflict coping behaviors, indicating a positive correlation between these two variables.
This study highlights the significance of fostering healthy marital relationships among married Christian women, not through direct effects of family-of-origin patterns, but through spiritually-mature conflict coping strategies. It emphasizes the necessity of awareness regarding one's family-of-origin and suggests that spiritually mature conflict coping can enhance marital stability. The findings point to the importance of practical application in marital life and suggest that ongoing efforts, such as spiritual self-reflection, Christian counseling, and faith-based training programs, are needed to help Christian women recognize their learned relational patterns and improve their approaches to conflict.