Predictors of marital anxiety among emerging adults: Demographic characteristics and family-of-origin marital messages
Abstract
Despite the increasing interest in marital anxiety during emerging adulthood, the relationship between marital messages received from the family of origin and marital anxiety remains underexplored in the literature. This study aimed to examine whether emerging adults’ marital anxiety differs across demographic variables and to determine the predictive role of marital messages received from the family of origin. The study included 424 emerging adults, including 294 women and 130 men. Data were collected using the Marital Anxiety Scale, the Marital Messages Scale, and a Personal Information Form. Independent samples t-test, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and simple linear regression analysis were conducted. The findings indicated that marital anxiety significantly differed according to gender, age, family structure, perceived family income level, and romantic relationship status (p < .05), whereas no significant differences were found based on faculty type or parents’ marriage type (p > .05). In addition, marital messages received from the family of origin significantly predicted marital anxiety (p < .001). The findings suggest that family-based experiences and relational contexts may play an important role in understanding marital anxiety during emerging adulthood.
Keywords
Marriage, marital anxiety, marital messages from family of origin, demographic characteristics, emerging adults
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