Exploration of Couple's Experiences of Long-Term Marital Satisfaction: A Qualitative Study

Abstract Background: Marital satisfaction is a complex and multidimensional phenomenon, widely explored in a multitude of disciplines. Repetition of certain positive behaviors can make a big difference in the success of continued married life, and that awareness of such behaviors seems to be critical to recognizing certain warnings. Therefore, further qualitative studies are required to improve the understanding of long-term marriage.Methods: This study was designed to explain the couples' experiences of long-term marital satisfaction and the associated factors. This study was conducted using a qualitative approach and a descriptive phenomenology method. The participants comprised 12 person (six couples) with a history of 20 to 30 years of married life expectancy and a marital satisfaction score of above 65. The data required were collected by purposeful sampling and semi-structured interviews, analyzed using Colaizzi method. By categorizing the codes, subcategory divisions, subcategories, and main categories were extracted.Results: An analysis of the experiences of the participants resulted in emergence of three main categories: “Strong Foundation For Living Together”, “Mutual Commitment To Protecting Marital Cohesion”, and " Striving To Improve Sexual Relations”.Conclusions: The results revealed that strong foundation for living together, mutual commitment to protecting marital cohesion and striving to improve sexual relations could help sustain long-term marriage and marital relationship.