The Association Between Differentiation of Self and Subjective Well-being in Female University Students: The Mediating Role of Marital Satisfaction

Nadi, Elahe; Bakhtiarpour, Saeed; Makvandi, Behnam; Asgari, Parviz

doi:10.30476/whb.2026.106489.1348

The Association Between Differentiation of Self and Subjective Well-being in Female University Students: The Mediating Role of Marital Satisfaction

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Department of Psychology, Ahv.C., Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran

10.30476/whb.2026.106489.1348

Abstract

Background: Self-differentiation and marital contentment emerge as key predictors of subjective well-being, especially among female university students. The present study aimed to investigate the mediating effect of marital satisfaction on the link between self-differentiation and subjective well-being in female university students.
Methods: In this descriptive-correlational study, a convenience sample of 473 married female students from Islamic Azad University, Rasht Branch, Rasht, Iran were recruited to participate in the study in 2023. For data collection, Subjective Well- Being Scale (SWS), Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI), and Marital Satisfaction Scale (MSS) were used. For data analysis, Pearson correlation and bootstrapping were used in SPSS version 26 and Amos version 26, to investigate the link between the variables of the study and mediation significance, respectively.
Results: A notable positive direct association between self-differentiation and subjective well-being (β=0.23, P=0.002) was found. Self-differentiation also demonstrated a significant positive indirect effect on subjective well-being through marital satisfaction (β=0.08, P=0.006). Marital satisfaction showed a robust positive direct association with subjective well-being (β=0.32, P<0.001).
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that differentiation of self directly and positively predicts subjective well-being in married female university students, while also exerting a significant indirect effect through marital satisfaction. Enhancing selfdifferentiation can therefore improve marital quality and overall life satisfaction, with important implications for counseling and support programs in higher education settings.

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