The Relationship between Parenting Style, Attachment Style and Marital Satisfaction among Married Men and Women

Abstract

The study investigated the relationship between parenting style a person was train with, attachment style and later marital satisfaction as well as the factors affecting marital satisfaction in the Ghanaian context using concurrent mixed method design. Two hundred married participants comprising 86 males and 114 females were conveniently sampled from the Greater Accra region of Ghana for the study. Correlational survey design was used to investigate the relationship between parenting style, attachment style and marital satisfaction. A brief qualitative exploration of factors affecting marital satisfaction was also conducted. All the participants completed questionnaires on parenting style, attachment style, cultural belief, religiosity and marital satisfaction for qualitative data. They also responded to two open-ended questions which asked them to state five things which make them happy and five things which make them unhappy in their marriage for qualitative data. The quantitative data was analyzed using standard multiple regression and one way ANOVA. The findings indicated that parenting style does not significantly relate to marital satisfaction but significantly relates to attachment style. Significant positive relationship was established between authoritative parenting style and secure attachment style. Persons securely attached were found to be more satisfied in marriage than those with avoidant and anxious-ambivalent attachment styles. The qualitative data was content analyzed and three main factors; negative and positive attitude of spouse, companionship in the marriage and external interference from family members, friends, job and other sources were found to affect marital satisfaction in the Ghanaian context.