The Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy on Marital Conflicts and Adjustment of Couples Referring to Counseling Centers in Tehran
Keywords:
Couple therapy group, Emotional focused couple therapy, Couple burnout, Couple burnout Marital commitmentAbstract
Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) on reducing marital conflicts and enhancing marital adjustment among couples referring to counseling centers in Tehran. Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study used a pre-test–post-test design with a control group. A total of 12 couples were purposively selected from counseling centers in District 6 of Tehran and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The Pines' Marital Conflict Scale (CBM) and the Adams and Jones' Marital Adjustment Questionnaire (DCI) were administered at both pre- and post-test phases. The intervention group received 10 weekly 90-minute group therapy sessions based on the EFT approach, while the control group received no treatment. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Findings: The results showed a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of reduction in total marital conflict scores (F=82.19, p<0.001, η²=0.79). Significant reductions were found in physical (p=0.000) and psychological (p=0.004) conflict dimensions, while the emotional conflict dimension showed no significant change. Moreover, the experimental group demonstrated a significant improvement in marital adjustment scores compared to the control group (F=4.39, p=0.002, η²=0.37). These findings support the effectiveness of EFT in improving relational dynamics between spouses. Conclusion: Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy significantly improves marital adjustment and reduces specific types of marital conflicts by fostering emotional expression, attachment security, and mutual understanding. This therapeutic approach can serve as an effective intervention strategy in marital counseling settings.
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