Associations Between Fear of Intimacy and Divorce Proneness in Married Women: The Mediating Roles of Sexual and Emotional Satisfaction

Abstract

Background: Marital instability and rising separation rates remain significant concerns in contemporary psychology, particularly in transitional societies such as Iran, where women navigate conflicting traditional and modern roles. Objectives: This study examined the structural relationship between fear of intimacy and divorce proneness, with emphasis on the parallel mediating effects of sexual satisfaction and emotional satisfaction among married women. Methods: This descriptive-correlational study recruited 359 married women in Hamadan, Iran, in 2024 using convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Divorce Proneness Scale, Fear of Intimacy Scale, Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire, and Emotional Satisfaction Scale. Structural equation modeling (SEM) with maximum likelihood estimation was conducted using AMOS version 26 to test direct and indirect effects, using bootstrapping with 5000 resamples. Results: The proposed model demonstrated excellent fit (χ2/df = 2.00, CFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.053 [90% CI, 0.042 - 0.064], SRMR = 0.041). Fear of intimacy had a significant positive direct effect on divorce proneness (β = 0.17, P = 0.024). Higher fear of intimacy was significantly associated with lower sexual satisfaction (β = -0.48, P < 0.001) and lower emotional satisfaction (β = -0.23, P < 0.001). Bootstrapped mediation analyses confirmed significant indirect effects through both mediators: fear of intimacy → sexual satisfaction → divorce proneness (β = -0.10, P = 0.002; 95% CI, -0.16 to -0.05) and fear of intimacy → emotional satisfaction → divorce proneness (β = -0.14, P = 0.001; 95% CI, -0.19 to -0.09). Conclusions: Fear of intimacy is a key underlying factor in the risk of marital dissolution, both directly and indirectly, through reduced sexual and emotional satisfaction. Interventions that target intimacy-related anxiety and enhance sexual and emotional fulfillment are recommended to mitigate proneness to divorce in married women.