Predicting Women\'s Marital Adjustment based on Attitudes toward Infidelity, Health Literacy and Self-Care in their Diabetic Spouses in Ahvaz

Objective: The aim of this study is to employ an artificial neural network to predict the marital adjustment of women by investigating their attitudes toward infidelity, health literacy, and self-care concerning their diabetic spouses. Materials and Methods: The present study employed a descriptive-correlational research design. The study's statistical population comprised all couples residing in Ahvaz City, in which their male spouse was diagnosed with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes and who had been registered with the Diabetes Association of Khuzestan province until the end of December in the year 2022. Out of a total population of 2,200 individuals, a sample of 205 individuals was chosen using convenience sampling. In order to gather data, the researchers utilized several questionnaires, including the Marital Adjustment Questionnaire (MAQ), Attitude towards infidelity Scale, Health Literacy for Iranian Adults (HELIA), and The Diabetes Self-Care Activities Questionnaire (DSCAQ. The data analysis involved the application of descriptive statistics and inferential statistics to examine Pearson's correlation coefficient, regression, and the artificial neural network. Results: The results indicated a statistically significant negative association between men's attitude towards infidelity and women's marital adjustment as well as statistically significant positive associations between men's health literacy and women's marital adjustment, and between men's self-care and women's marital adjustment (P< 0.01). Conclusion: Health literacy plays a crucial role in enhancing the ability of men with diabetes to self-regulate and manage their condition through proper diet. It also increases their awareness of how diabetes can impact their marital life and sexual relationships.