Attachment Styles, Emotion Regulation, and Marital Satisfaction among Married Couples

This study examined the relationship between attachment styles namely avoidance and anxiety and emotion regulation strategies such as cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression and marital satisfaction among married individuals in India. A cross-sectional design was employed with 180 married participants, aged 21 years to 45 years old including both male and female. Standardized measures included the Experiences in Close Relationships–Relationship Structures Questionnaire (ECR-RS), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and the ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis tests, Pearson correlations, and multiple linear regression. The majority of participants (79.4%) reported moderate level of marital satisfaction. The findings revealed that there is a significant difference emerged in cognitive reappraisal across marital satisfaction groups, with individuals having high marital satisfaction reporting greater use of this strategy. Strong associations were observed between attachment avoidance and anxiety (r = .603, p < .001) and between cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression (r = .751, p < .001). The regression model explained only 1% of variance in marital satisfaction, suggesting that broader interpersonal and socio-cultural factors play a more prominent role. Findings highlight the complexity of marital satisfaction within collectivistic cultural contexts.