Attachment Styles and Marital Satisfaction among Women in Monogamous and Polygamous marriages: Evidence from Pakistan

Abstract

Marital satisfaction is well known as a key measure of quality of relationships and psychological health. Adult attachment theory suggests that the attachment orientations of the individuals determine emotional intimacy, communication and relationship satisfaction. Despite the wealth of evidence on attachment and marital behavior in monogamous unions, relatively few studies have explored these relationships in polygamous marriages, especially in South Asian cultures where cultural customs and religious values are likely to influence marriage behavior. The current research examined the variation in attachment styles and marital satisfaction of women in monogamous and polygamous marriages in Pakistan. The cross-sectional design was mixed and purposive sampling was used. The sample size was 200 women who were married and lived in Pakistan and half of them were monogamous and the other half polygamous marriages. The Urdu version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) was used to measure adult attachment, and the Kansas Marital Satisfaction Scale (KMSS) was used to measure marital satisfaction. The results of relationship outcomes between the two groups were compared using independent-samples t-tests and correlation analyses with the help of IBM SPSS Statistics Version 28.  The results showed that women who were married in monogamous marriages were much more contented with their marriages and more intimate than women in polygamous marriages. On the other hand, polygamous wives exhibited a much greater attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance. These results indicate that insecure attachment orientations relate to worse relationship outcomes in polygamous marital situations. The research is important to the scanty literature on marital relationships in Pakistan because it demonstrates the psychological mechanisms of marital satisfaction in various marital structures. The results highlight the relevance of attachment-based interventions and culturally sensitive marriage counseling to enhance the quality of relationships of married women.