The role of emotional intelligence in mitigating marital discord

Marital discord remains a significant psychosocial concern affecting individual well-being, family stability, and broader societal health. Emotional intelligence (EI), defined as the capacity to perceive, understand, regulate, and utilize emotions effectively, has emerged as a critical psychological construct in interpersonal relationship research. This cross-sectional study investigated the role of emotional intelligence in mitigating marital discord among married adults. A sample of 312 married individuals (156 males and 156 females) aged 25 to 55 years was recruited through stratified random sampling from urban and semi-urban regions. The Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) was administered to assess emotional intelligence, while the Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS) was used to measure marital adjustment and discord. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation, independent samples t-test, and multiple linear regression. The results indicated a significant negative correlation between emotional intelligence and marital discord (r=−0.61, p