Perceived ex-husband rejection and psychological distress among pakistani remarried women following divorce: Does emotional intelligence moderate?

The current study assumed that perceived ex-partner rejection is likely to associate with increased symptoms of psychological distress among remarried women who had been previously divorced. Additionally, emotional intelligence may act as moderator between ex-partner rejection and psychological distress, and length of time between divorce and remarriage may play a role in the amount of psychological distress, a woman experiences. In this regard, 99 remarried women, who have been previously divorced, were recruited using purposive sampling technique. Separate hierarchical regressions revealed that perceived ex-spousal rejection significantly and positively predicted psychological distress, however, EI did not moderate between ex-partner rejection and psychological distress. Results further demonstrated no significant difference in level of psychological distress between group of women who remarried within 2 years of divorce, and those who remarried after 2 years of divorce. Implications for relationship researchers and mental health professionals are discussed.