Volume 32, Issue 1 (3-2025)
RJMS 2025, 32(1): 1-11 |
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Research code: IR.IAU.AMOL.REC.1402.026
Ethics code: IR.IAU.AMOL.REC.1402.026
Clinical trials code: IR.IAU.AMOL.REC.1402.026
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Mahdinya S, Vahedi R, khanmmohammadi otaghsara A. The Effectiveness of Compassion Therapy on the Dimensions of Marital Relationship Quality and Emotional Regulation Difficulties of Couples with Marital Conflicts. RJMS 2025; 32 (1) :1-11
URL: http://rjms.iums.ac.ir/article-1-8530-en.html
URL: http://rjms.iums.ac.ir/article-1-8530-en.html
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Ayatollah Amoli Branch, Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran , ar.khanmohammadi@gmail.com
Abstract: (874 Views)
Background & Aims: One of the dangers that threaten a successful and healthy marriage is marital conflicts. Marital conflicts are one of the common problems of couples and are caused by couples' inconsistency in the type of demands and expectations and differences in irresponsible behaviors and actions towards marital relationship and marriage (1).
Among the underlying factors in marital conflicts, we can mention the quality of marital relations and difficulty in emotional regulation. In recent years, the reasons for marriage and expectations of spouses from each other have changed drastically, and the need for high quality marital relations, love and intimacy with the spouse, and satisfaction of emotional and psychological needs is one of the main reasons for marriage today, and most people want intimate relationships with Quality are looking for marriage. On the other hand, in the last decade, researchers extensively studied the quality of married life and marital intimacy and the relationship between these two with different aspects of human life (2).
Difficulty in regulating emotions is another variable that can cause marital conflicts. Difficulty in emotion regulation is caused by the lack of adaptive strategies of emotional regulation (such as re-evaluation and problem solving) along with the use of maladaptive strategies (such as suppression of emotions) to regulate emotional responses (3). Emotion regulation strategies play an effective role in physical and psychological health by regulating emotional states and reactions through modifying and improving cognitive beliefs (4). There is significant evidence that good emotion regulation is associated with good interpersonal functioning and vice versa, difficulty in emotion regulation is associated with a variety of interpersonal problems (6). Nasibi (2022) investigated a research titled predicting marital satisfaction based on cognitive emotion regulation strategies in married women. The results showed that emotion regulation strategies can predict marital satisfaction of married women (7). Also, Mashayikhi (2022) showed that there is a significant relationship between anger control variable and non-adaptive strategies of emotional regulation in married women, but anger control had no significant relationship with other research variables(8).
One of the methods that can be effective in reducing the signs and symptoms of marital conflicts is compassion therapy. Based on the compassion therapy approach, people who have a high level of self-compassion, or in other words, have high self-compassion, accept themselves as they are and take care and protect themselves. Therefore, self-compassion or self-compassion assumes a protective role against problems and stressful and stressful situations and can prevent a person from getting caught in negative feelings and emotions such as fear and anxiety and flexibility. It increases and improves a person's adaptability and resilience in different conditions and situations (9). According to what has been said so far, the purpose of this research is to determine the effectiveness of compassion therapy on the quality of marital relationships and difficulty in emotional regulation in couples with marital conflicts.
Methods: The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the research included couples with marital conflicts who referred to counseling centers and psychological services in Babol city in the first quarter of 2023, out of which 16 couples were identified as couples with marital conflicts and were randomly selected to participate in the research. They were placed in two experimental and control groups (16 people for each group). For the experimental group were held 8 therapy sessions based on Gilbert (2009) compassion. For data analysis, was used multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) test.
Results: Based on the results between the average scores of the two experimental and control groups in the post-test stage in the subscales of satisfaction, commitment, intimacy, trust and sexual excitement in the quality variable of marital relations and the subscales of non-acceptance of emotional reactions, difficulty in performing purposeful behavior, difficulty in impulse control And there is a significant difference in the lack of emotional awareness in the variable of difficulty in emotional regulation (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The aim of the present study was the effectiveness of compassion therapy on the dimensions of marital relationship quality and emotional regulation difficulties of couples with marital conflicts. The results showed that compassion therapy is effective on the subscales of non-acceptance of emotional reactions, difficulty in performing purposeful behavior, difficulty in impulse control, and lack of emotional awareness in the variable of difficulty in emotional regulation. These results are in agreement with previous researches such as; Soltani and Fatehizadeh (1401) (19), Nijero et al. (2023) (202), Hehen et al. (2022) (21) are consistent. In explaining the results of the first sub-hypothesis, it can be said that; Compassion-therapy works like a positive emotional regulation style and strategy and reduces the person's negative and incompatible emotions and emotions and replaces them with positive and compatible emotions and emotions. Therefore, it seems that due to this emotional self-regulation, the shame and self-criticism of a person is reduced (22)
Also, based on the results of compassion therapy, the dimensions of marital relationship quality such as satisfaction, commitment, intimacy, trust, and sexual excitement were effective. Vesper et al. (2023) (25), Nikperor et al. (2023) (26) and Karimifar and Farahani (2023) (27) have been aligned with Boh and in the same direction. In explaining the results of the second hypothesis of the present research, it can be said that; One of the basic foundations of compassion therapy is mindfulness training and its practical techniques. Fan faulting can be considered as one of these techniques. In this technique, people are taught to consider their thoughts as mental events and not verbal facts, and in this way free themselves from distracting and unhelpful thoughts and instead of drowning in automatic patterns, act based on their current values and environmental conditions (27). In explaining the results of the present research, it can be said that this treatment can reduce the mentality of couples towards possible prejudices and can lead to the teaching of solutions that lead to a peaceful conversation between couples.
In general, compassion-based therapy by increasing compassion towards oneself and others leads to the improvement of couples' communication, and this result will lead to an increase in commitment, intimacy, devotion, cooperation and agreement with the spouse. Family psychologists and couple therapists are suggested to use compassion therapy to improve the difficulty in emotional regulation of the quality of marital relationships in couples with marital conflicts. Due to time constraints, the opportunity to conduct the follow-up phase and measure the stability of compassion-therapy intervention in different time intervals was not provided. In order to check the stability of compassion therapy, it is suggested to carry out tests and follow-up steps at different time intervals and compare the results.
Keywords: Quality of Marital Relationships, Difficulty in Emotional Regulation, Marital Conflicts, Compassion Therapy
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Clinical Psychiatry
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