Comparison of Marital Satisfaction of Nurse Couples and Those Whose Spouse is not a Nurse and Predicting Factors that Determine their Marital Satisfaction

Context: The nature of the nursing profession is one of the effective factors in the marital satisfaction of nurses. Objectives: This study aimed to examine the level of marital satisfaction in nurse couples in comparison to those whose spouse is not a nurse and also examine predicting factors of marital satisfaction. Methods: Following a cross-sectional design, a total of 252 nurses working in educational hospitals in western and northwestern cities of Iran were recruited for this study. Participants were selected using the convenience sampling method. Data were collected using a two-part questionnaire: (1) items related to socio-demographic characteristics; and (2) items related to ENRICH Marital Satisfaction (EMS) Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS v 21.0. Results: The mean (SD) age of participants was 32.4 (6.39) years. Marital satisfaction was higher among employed nurse couples, those with rotating shifts, those with a lower number of night-work shifts per month, those with personal housing, and those whose spouse was a nurse. Also, a significant association was found between income level and marital satisfaction (P = 0.002, F = 6.67). Conclusions: According to the findings, nurse couples had higher marital satisfaction in comparison to those whose spouse was not a nurse. Nurses reported their marital satisfaction as moderate. Paying attention to the livelihood conditions of nurses, providing more flexibility, and giving nurses the right to choose to set a monthly work schedule can improve their marital satisfaction.