PERCEIVED RELATIONAL FACTORS IN MARITAL (IN)STABILITY AMONG MARRIED AND DIVORCED BOSNIANS: DO WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER?

With an increase in divorce rates worldwide, it seems that marriage loses its importance and popularity. Still, many people seek romantic partners and marry for many reasons. Research points to the beneficial effects of marital and romantic relationships. What factors make a good and successful marital and romantic relationship and why marriages and relationships fall apart remains to be answered. Since the divorce rates in Bosnia and Herzegovina increase, the purpose of this study was to explore factors in good and successful marriages and reasons for divorce. This is a qualitative study in which a survey with open-ended questions was used to explore participants’ responses. With the help of convenience sampling technique, 366 participants, N= 167 married and N=199 divorced with a mean age M= 43±11 and M= 41±10 respectively were recruited. A content analysis of participants’ responses shows that both a good and successful marriage and reasons for divorce are mostly related to relational interpersonal and intrapersonal factors while external, social factors play a less important role. Married and divorced participants named understanding, love, respect, trust, tolerance, communication skills, agreement and compromise as the top qualities for a successful marriage. As the leading reasons for divorce, divorced participants listed adultery or affairs and other women, alcoholism, violence and aggression, arguments and conflict, and misunderstanding