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. 2025 Jun 27:10:1588365.
doi: 10.3389/fsoc.2025.1588365. eCollection 2025.

Religious faith, gratitude, conflict resolution styles, and romantic love

Marius Marici  1 , Adelia Furdui Florea  2 , Patricia Runcan  2
Affiliations

Religious faith, gratitude, conflict resolution styles, and romantic love

Marius Marici et al. Front Sociol. .

Abstract

Background: The study emphasizes the value of integrating psychological and spiritual dimensions in understanding relational harmony. The aim of this research was to investigate the role of gratitude and conflict resolution styles as mediators between religious faith and romantic love.

Methods: A structural equation model was performed with data from married males and females from Romania (N = 226, Mage = 40.67, SDage = 11.76). Established measurement tools assessed key variables, while the model's validity was evaluated through multiple statistical benchmarks (e.g., fit indices), allowing a comprehensive assessment of pathways linking religious faith, gratitude, conflict resolution, and romantic love.

Results: Analyses indicated that religious faith strongly predicted gratitude. Gratitude, in turn, had a favorable impact on cooperative conflict-resolution behaviors, which were closely linked to strengthened romantic love. The model exhibited strong validity.

Conclusions: The findings underscore the central role of intrinsic spiritual values and gratitude in fostering effective conflict management and enriching romantic love. These insights highlight potential applications in therapeutic settings and relationship-building programs, suggesting that fostering these personal qualities could enhance partnership satisfaction.

Keywords: AMOS; conflict resolution; gratitude; religious faith; romantic love.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The presumed model of the relationships between the main variables of the research.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The trimmed model presenting the standardized regression weights and the multiple correlations.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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