The impact of spiritual well-being, gratitude, and loneliness on marital satisfaction among Korean American pastors and spouses

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of spiritual well-being, gratitude, and loneliness on marital satisfaction among Korean American pastors and spouses. Although prior research has studied Korean American pastors and spouses' marital satisfaction, there is a paucity in research examining how the spiritual well-being, loneliness, and gratitude may influence marital satisfaction. The present study was conducted with 51 pastors and spouses who volunteered to participate in the survey. Results indicated that spiritual well-being and gratitude were positively correlated. Moreover, loneliness was negatively correlated with spiritual well-being and gratitude. However, spiritual well-being, gratitude, and loneliness did not predict marital satisfaction. Lastly, there were no gender differences among spiritual well-being, loneliness, and gratitude. The results challenge the traditional Korean American Christian stigma that marital dissatisfaction indicates spiritual weakness. Implications, limitations, and recommendation for future research are discussed.