Abstract
Marital satisfaction is the result of the satisfaction and compatibility of the husband and wife in different aspects of their life together and guarantees the strength of the family foundation and the health of the parents. Marital satisfaction of parents plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of life and the emotional atmosphere of the family and is an effective factor for dealing with psychological pressures and having a proper performance in life. In family life, sometimes children are the cause of parents' resentment, impatience, incompatibility and dissatisfaction, and sometimes they are the messenger of parents' satisfaction and hope for life. The presence of children, due to the issues it brings, may deepen the couple's relationship or reduce satisfaction or lack of marital satisfaction.
The research method in this research is a survey method using a questionnaire and is considered a part of applied research. The statistical sample of this research is equal to 200 mothers with normal and exceptional children living in Region 5 of Kermanshah city municipality, who have answered the questions of the questionnaire in this research. The findings of this research show that there is a significant difference in the level of hope among mothers with normal children and mothers with exceptional children. Mothers with normal children have more hope than mothers with exceptional children and have an average difference of 6.69 points, which is reported as a statistically significant difference. There is a significant difference in marital satisfaction between mothers with normal children and mothers with exceptional children. Mothers with normal children have a higher mean of hope than mothers with exceptional children and have an average difference of 27.21 points, which is a statistically significant difference.
The family has been introduced as an institution or social institution, which is caused by the marriage bond between a man and a woman. Among the manifestations of human social life is the existence of healthy and constructive interactions between people and the existence of love for the same kind and expressing sincerity and empathy to each other. The family is the place to satisfy various physical, intellectual and emotional needs, and having awareness of biological and psychological needs and knowing how to satisfy them and being equipped with techniques to recognize biological and psychological tendencies is an undeniable necessity. A person's satisfaction with married life is considered to be his satisfaction with his family, and satisfaction with his family means satisfaction with life, and as a result, it will facilitate the growth, excellence, and material and spiritual progress of society (Adalati and Radzoan, 2009). Marital satisfaction can be a reflection of people's level of happiness from marital relationships or a combination of satisfaction due to many factors specific to marital relationships. Marital satisfaction can be considered as a psychological situation that does not arise by itself, but requires the efforts of both couples. Especially in the early years, marital satisfaction is very unstable and relationships are at the greatest risk (Ahmadi, Nabipour, Kimiai and Fazli, 2019).
The psychological health of the family, as the smallest social unit, depends on the health of each family member. Parents, as the center of the family, have various functions and responsibilities in relation to their children. The birth of healthy children (physically and psychologically) provides the necessary basis for fulfilling this responsibility. In general, the birth of a child causes different reactions from the parents, especially when the child is born with a disability (Kakabrai and Rajamandniawafroz, 2013).
Marital satisfaction effectively affects the family and the physical and mental well-being of family members and has a direct relationship with the child's actions and reactions. The presence of stress and bad marital relations of parents can also endanger the child's mental health (Rajabi et al., 2013). Issues such as heavy economic costs, restrictions in social relations, enduring blame and humiliation from others, occurrence of marital problems, occurrence of problems in siblings and the like. In many cases, mentally retarded children spend most or all of their time alone and in interaction with family members, and as a result, such children increase the possibility of family dysfunction and parental dissatisfaction (Bajoh and Ramezani, 2014).
The presence of an exceptional child in a family often causes irreparable damage to the family. The degree of vulnerability of the family in front of this injury is sometimes to such an extent that the mental health of the family suffers severe damage. So that as soon as the parents become aware of their child's disability, all their wishes and hopes turn into despair and the problems of the parents begin (Berjis et al., 2012). One of these problems may be the lack of marital satisfaction, which will be discussed in the present research. Statement of the problem: Marital satisfaction is the result of the satisfaction and compatibility of the husband and wife in various aspects of their joint life, and it guarantees the strength of the family foundation and the health of the parents. Parents' marriage plays a vital role in maintaining the balance of life and the emotional atmosphere of the family and is an effective factor in dealing with psychological pressures and having a proper performance in life. In family life, sometimes children are the cause of parents' resentment, impatience, incompatibility and dissatisfaction, and sometimes they are the messenger of satisfaction and the source of parents' hope for life. The presence of children, due to the issues it brings, may lead to the deepening of couples' relationships or the reduction of marital satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Until the end of the first half of the 20th century, there was no talk of the impact of children on marital satisfaction or dissatisfaction. But today, by emphasizing the role of children in life, they are considered as a factor in the occurrence of dissatisfaction and marital disputes, because with the birth of a child, changes are made in the functioning of the family (Beh Pajoh and Ramezani, 1384).
The family is a social system that a disorder in each member and element will disrupt the whole system. The birth of an exceptional child will cause an emotional shock to his parents. And the mother is so intense and strong that sometimes it is compared to the grief resulting from the death of a young and healthy child. Marital relations and communication systems will change in such families (Janabadi, 2013).
One of the variables that can be negatively affected by children with disabilities is marital satisfaction. Establishing effective communication with the other party, not getting angry, maintaining the individual independence of men and women while participating together, valuing the desires and interests of the spouse, companionship and empathy, having common goals and ideals, accepting hardships and being ready to face life's problems and being together in happy and difficult days, and emphasizing and paying attention to the positive points of the spouse's personality, expressing friendship and caring for each other are considered to be factors in the continuation of life together and the satisfaction of men and women. Correct verbal and non-verbal communication is the basis of a successful married life. A man and a woman who are deprived of having a proper relationship with each other and other family members have special behavioral signs, among which the following can be mentioned: desperation, despair and helplessness of the wife or husband, the existence of conflict between the husband and wife, having various problems in the financial, sexual, and behavioral fields, the low rate of strengthening each other, the lack of satisfaction and satisfaction with married life, complaining and criticizing each other, etc. , 2013).
Various researches have found out the effect of having a disabled child on parents' life satisfaction. The results of the research (Wolfenzirger, 2001, Tanila and Kokanon and Jarvilin, 2005, Mela Bashi, 2002, and Motamedin et al., 2007) show that there is a significant difference between the marital satisfaction of the parents of disabled, mentally retarded and normal children and the disabled child on marital satisfaction and; Parental compatibility has an effect. Several researches (Rodaria, Morgan and Kafken, 2002, Rosh, 2005, Malikpour, 2005, Ahmadnia, 2010, and Hosseini and Rezazadeh, 2011) have reported the effect of the presence of a disabled and mentally retarded child on the level of self-expression in the life satisfaction of the parents of these children.
Hope in life is related to the way we think, feel and act. When you have good hope, you expect the best things in life and you are ready to face any incident. In general, people who have good hope have a positive attitude and are ready to deal with life's problems. They feel good about themselves and others, they are responsible in their work environment and activities and in their relationships. Snyder - the founder of the theory of hope and the treatment based on it - defines hope as a structure that includes two concepts, such as "the ability to design passages towards desired goals despite the existing obstacles and the agent or motivation factor necessary to use these passages".