How and When Marital Bonds Nurture Flourishing: The role of Positive Emotion and Partner Responsivenes

Abstract

While marital quality has been linked to relational well-being, the mechanisms that foster flourishing within marital bonds remain underexplored, particularly in collectivist cultures. This study examined emotional and interpersonal processes that may explain how and when marital quality predicts flourishing. A cross-sectional design was employed using self-report data from 342 married adults in Iran (Mage = 37.44±6.65). Participants completed validated measures assessing marital quality, flourishing, positive and negative emotions, and perceived partner responsiveness. Structural equation modeling with bootstrapping (10,000 iterations) was used to test mediation and moderation effects. Results indicated that marital quality directly predicted flourishing (β = 0.280, p < .001). Positive emotions partially mediated this link (β = 0.082, p = .005), while negative emotions did not yield a significant mediating effect (β = 0.027, p = .070). Perceived partner responsiveness moderated the direct relationship between marital quality and flourishing (β = 0.245, p < .001), with stronger associations observed at higher levels of responsiveness. Taken together, the findings underscore the pivotal role of emotional positivity and partner responsiveness in promoting marital flourishing, particularly within collectivist cultural contexts.