Individual, Family, and Community Education ETDs

Publication Date

Fall 10-20-2021

Abstract

This dissertation examined co-rumination among married men and women and its effects on their marital quality and depressive outcomes. The study addressed the concept of co-rumination in the Pakistani family context as the notion of gender role affects many aspects of people’s lives in Pakistan including their self-disclosure. Data were collected online through social media from 150 married men and women who were in a marital relationship for at least a year. Using multiple regression, the association between co-rumination and depression was assessed and the moderating role of gender was examined to see if co-rumination results in different outcomes among males and females in this Pakistani sample. The results of the study indicate that co-rumination significantly predicted the levels of depression among men and women, whereby an increase in co-rumination was related to a decrease in the levels of depression. In addition, the effect of co-rumination on marital quality was measured to see if co-rumination is a protective factor for a relationship, or if it is a risk factor. The moderating role of gender in this relationship was also examined to see if women and men reported different levels of marital satisfaction for a given level of co-rumination. The findings of the study suggest that co-rumination was positively associated with one’s satisfaction with his or her marital relationship. However, men and women were not significantly different in the relationship between co-rumination and marital satisfaction. Finally, to understand the possible explanation of the relationship between co-rumination and marital satisfaction, self-esteem was examined in terms of its mediating role in the relationship between co-rumination and marital satisfaction. Results of the study indicate that self-esteem did not mediate the relationship between co-rumination and relationship satisfaction. However, self-esteem significantly predicted marital satisfaction, suggesting that participants higher on self-esteem were also higher on marital satisfaction. The findings have been discussed in relation to the existing findings from literature and theoretical framework.

Keywords

Co-rumination, Self-disclosure, Family Dynamics in Pakistan, Marital Satisfaction, Family Psychology

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Family Studies

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Individual, Family, and Community Education

First Committee Member (Chair)

Dr. Zia Hossain

Second Committee Member

Dr. Ryan Kelly

Third Committee Member

Dr. Yu Yu Hsiao

Fourth Committee Member

Dr. Pisarn Chamcharastri

Download

Share

COinS