Differentiation of Self and Life Satisfaction in Married Women: Moderating Role of Mental Wellbeing

Abstract

This research aimed to examine the relationship of differentiation of self and life satisfaction among married women in the presence of mental wellbeing as a moderator. The study followed a quantitative, co-relational survey research design. The participants consisted of 147 married women, aged between 20 to 50 years (M = 30.87; SD = 6.84) approached through purposive convenient sampling technique. Self-report measures such as Differentiation of Self Inventory-Revised (Skowron & Friedlander, 1988) Satisfaction with Life Scale (Diener, 1993) and Warwick Edinburg Mental Well-being Scale (Brown et al., 2007) were used to collect data. Results showed that mental wellbeing did not play a moderating role in relating differentiation of self and life satisfaction, however it was found that differentiation of self and mental wellbeing were independently significant predictors of life satisfaction among married women. Furthermore, results revealed I-position to be the strongest predictor of mental wellbeing from the subscales of differentiation of self, whereas the subscale of emotional cutoff predicted both life satisfaction and mental wellbeing, with stronger predictions for life satisfaction. The current findings have implications in individual and family therapy, self, and overall personality development of women.