Relationship Between Attachment Behaviors and Marital Trust Among Nurses With the Mediating Role of Covert Aggression

Background: Marital trust as a fiduciary relationship is very important for ensuring the continuity of married life, and identifying its factors are critical. Female nurses are prone to marital problems due to involvement in stressful jobs with different work shifts and long working hours. Accordingly, the present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of covert aggression in relationships between attachment behaviors and marital trust in female nurses. Methods: This correlational study was conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM) from March to June 2021. The statistical population consisted of all married female nurses (aged 25-55 years) working in hospitals in Shiraz City, Iran. Of whom, 310 were selected as the sample through two-stage cluster random sampling. The research instruments included the Trust in Close Relationships scale, the brief accessibility, responsiveness, and engagement (BARE) scale, and the couples relational aggression and victimization scale (CRAViS). The proposed model was evaluated by SEM, and indirect relationships were examined using the Bootstrap method in AMOS-24. The significance level was considered to be 0.05. Results: The results showed that both indirect paths of dimensions of attachment behaviors and a marital trust, mediated by covert aggression (destruction of social image and emotional withdrawal), were statistically significant (P<0.05). In addition, the results demonstrated a significant and direct relationship between dimensions of attachment behaviors and marital trust (P<0.01). Conclusion: The study results show the acceptable goodness of fit of the proposed model. Therefore, policymakers, family consultants, and psychiatric nurses are recommended to pay special attention to the effects of attachment behaviors and covert aggression on the marital trust of female nurses.