DefinePK

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate how social anxiety and marital happiness, together with gender variations, affect the quality of romantic relationships, fear of intimacy, and communication styles among married adults in Pakistan. Emotional intimacy and marital satisfaction are known to be weakened by social anxiety and intimacy fear, particularly in conservative cultural contexts where stigma around mental health is prevalent. The study used a quantitative correlational approach with a purposive sample of 200 married people from both urban and rural settings (100 men and 100 women). Standardized tools evaluated communication styles, romantic love, fear of intimacy, social anxiety, and marital satisfaction. The findings showed that social anxiety positively predicted poor communication and fear of intimacy while negatively linked with marital pleasure and relationship quality. A protective element that lessens intimacy anxieties and promotes healthy communication is marital pleasure. There were negligible and unimportant gender differences. To treat social anxiety and intimacy anxieties and increase relationship satisfaction in Pakistani couples, culturally sensitive couple-based therapies and psycho-educational interventions are advised.