سارا علایی خرایم

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the role of object relations in predicting emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality.Methods: The research method was quantitative, applied and descriptive-correlational. The statistical population of the study was all 257 couples which formally married in the first three months of 2022 in Ardabil. The non-random available sampling method was used due to the limitations of the corona pandemic. The sample size was 110 couples, including 110 males and 110 females. Bell Object Relationships Inventory (1995), King & Ammons Emotional Expression Questionnaire (1990), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) and Basby Marital Quality Questionnaire (1995) were used for data collection. In the descriptive part, we used the central and dispersion indices. Also, in the inferential part, multiple regression was used.  The data were analyzed using SPSS software.Results: The results of this study showed there is a significant negative relationship between social incompetence with emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality (p<0.01), and a significant negative relationship between egocentricity with emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality (p<0.01). Also, there is a significant negative relationship between insecure attachment with emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality (p<0.01) and finally there is a significant negative relationship between alienation with emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality (p<0.01).Conclusion: Considering the results, couple therapy based on object relations can be used to improve emotional expression, distress tolerance and marital quality of couples.