Childhood Happiness, Self-Esteem, and Marital Expectations: A Flourishing-Based Mediation Model

This study examines the relationships between childhood happiness, self-esteem, and marital expectations, with a focus on the mediating role of self-esteem within the framework of flourishing theory. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and bootstrapping procedures. Results indicated that childhood happiness had a positive predictive effect on self-esteem. However, childhood happiness did not directly predict the romance, physical intimacy, or respect dimensions of marital expectations. Self-esteem was positively associated only with respect-based expectations and there was a statistically significant but very small indirect effect of childhood happiness on respect-based expectations through self-esteem; no statistically significant indirect effects were observed for romance or physical intimacy. Additionally, gender and marital status were found to be significantly associated with self-esteem and physical intimacy, and respect, whereas marital status was significantly associated with self-esteem and physical intimacy. These findings highlight the selective pathways through which early emotional well-being shapes adult relational expectations and underscore the importance of demographic and cultural factors in understanding the multidimensional nature of marital expectations.