The Roles of Spiritual Fortitude and Religious Orientation in Relationship Quality for Interfaith Couples

Abstract

Previous research has demonstrated that interfaith couples often face challenges related to religious disagreements, which is associated with a decrease in relationship quality. Research also indicates that religious orientation and spiritual fortitude might be useful personal resources for individuals navigating stressful life events, particularly when they cause religious or spiritual strain. Although prior work has indicated that religious orientation is related to relationship outcomes in interfaith couples, there has been no research on the association between spiritual fortitude and relationship outcomes in interfaith couples. This study uses a dyadic analysis model to determine whether religious orientation and spiritual fortitude are related to commitment, conflict engagement, dyadic adjustment, and meaning in life within this population. Both members of 130 interfaith couples responded to measures of each variable. The results indicate that spiritual fortitude is positively related to relationship commitment, dyadic adjustment, and meaning in life and negatively related to conflict engagement. The majority of the significant findings applied to the male, but not female, member of the couple. This finding is supported by previous literature on spiritual fortitude as a resource that helps sustain well-being through stress.