Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p>Arranged marriages in Tamil Nadu, India, often involve limited pre‑marital interaction, creating potential conflicts as women’s expectations shaped by education, employment, and globalization intersect with men’s traditional roles. External influences such as extended family, peers, and the COVID‑19 pandemic further complicated marital dynamics. Guided by the Vulnerability‑Stress‑Adaptation (VSA) model (Karney & Bradbury, 1995), a qualitative multiple case study was conducted using reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2019). Dyadic interviews were carried out with ten married couples aged 26–37 years, with 3–8 years of marital life. Credibility was ensured through member checking, peer debriefing, and auditing. Findings revealed that transitions from traditional to progressive gender‑role expectations were a major source of conflict. Extended family influence was more often disruptive than supportive. Couples adopted adaptive processes including family commitment, sacrifice, open communication, compromise, emotional adjustment, and conflict management to sustain marital satisfaction and stability. Notably, a family‑focused motive emerged as a culturally specific dimension of adaptation, extending beyond self‑, partner‑, and relationship‑focused motives documented in Western contexts. This study is the first to apply the VSA model to Tamil arranged marriages, highlighting culturally specific adaptive strategies that couples employ to navigate gender‑role conflicts. Findings contribute to literature on marital adaptation, inform culturally sensitive clinical practice in counseling and psychotherapy, and provide guidance for family welfare agencies in collectivist societies.</p>