The Structural Relationships of Perfectionism with Marital Satisfaction: The Mediating Role of Psychological Flexibility and Metacognitive Beliefs

The aim of this study was to investigate the structural relationships of perfectionism with marital satisfaction: the mediating role of psychological flexibility and metacognitive beliefs. The design of the present study was a descriptive correlation. The statistical population of the study was all married people in Shahr Nazak in 2021. 270 people were selected for this study using the available sampling method. Research tools include the Perfectionism Questionnaire (PI, Hill et al., 2004), Psychological Flexibility (AAQ-II, Bond et al., 2011), Metacognitive Beliefs (MCQ, Hutton & Wells, 2004), and Enrich Marital Satisfaction (EMS, Olson, 1999). Data were analyzed using path analysis. The fit indices indicated an excellent fit of the data with the modified model. Positive perfectionism and negative perfectionism had an indirect effect on marital satisfaction (p< 0.001) since these effects were estimated through the variables of psychological flexibility and metacognitive beliefs. Therefore, their mediating role in the relationship between negative and positive perfectionism and marital satisfaction was confirmed (p< 0.001). From the above findings, it can be concluded that since marital satisfaction is affected by the variables of perfectionism, metacognitive beliefs, and psychological flexibility, so in couple psychotherapy, these variables should also be considered.