Volume 32, Issue 1 (3-2025)
RJMS 2025, 32(1): 1-14 |
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Research code: این مقاله برگرفته از رساله دکتری میباشد
Ethics code: IR.IAU.SARI.REC.1401.006
Clinical trials code: این مقاله برگرفته از رساله دکتری میباشد
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Mohammadi L, Abbasi G, Hassanzadeh R. The Effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) on the Regret of Choosing a Spouse and the Future Anxiety of Women with Marital Conflict. RJMS 2025; 32 (1) :1-14
URL: http://rjms.iums.ac.ir/article-1-8310-en.html
URL: http://rjms.iums.ac.ir/article-1-8310-en.html
Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Sari Branch, Islamic Azad University, Sari, Iran , abasighodrat@gmail.com
Abstract: (1389 Views)
Background & Aims: Marriage is one of the milestones in life where a person chooses a life partner with a new role and new expectations. Many factors can cause a crisis in marriage. When these factors are not managed properly, they can cause tension and eventually lead to the separation of couples (1). Conflict in marriage is inevitable (2). One of the issues that may cause marital conflict is regretting the choice of spouse. Regret in romantic relationships is the most common source of regret in life, and women experience romantic regret more than men (7). Regret is an unpleasant, counterintuitive, self-centered feeling that results from an adverse choice. (8). Regret about choosing a partner can have a negative effect on the performance of romantic relationships. It may even weaken the stability of life (13). Another influencing factor on couples' relationships and conflicts between them is future anxiety. Not only do women experience more anxiety than their male partners, they are also more likely to experience the negative consequences of anxiety (17). Future anxiety is defined as a specific form of anxiety, a state of uncertainty, fear and worry about threatening changes in the personal future (19). Research has shown that there is a direct relationship between future anxiety and domestic violence (20). So far, various treatments have been used to help women with marital conflicts. Emotion-focused therapy is one of the few effective approaches for people that can play a prominent role in resolving relationship disputes (24). This therapy is a combination of systemic and experiential approaches that focus on intrapsychic processes (how people process their emotional experiences) and interpersonal processes (how people organize their interactions with others in patterns and cycles (26). This treatment affects the psychological distress of couples with generalized anxiety disorder (27), the emotional awareness and psychological well-being of divorced women (28), depression and anxiety symptoms of couples (29), marital commitment and marital quality of women with marital conflict (30), improving marital satisfaction (31) dnxiety and depression among female-headed households (32) and anxiety and depression among women with breast cancer (33) have been effective. The necessity of examining women's marital conflicts is due to the fact that in terms of culture and religion, marriage and creating a successful family life in Iran is considered one of the achievements of women's lives (35) and due to Islamic culture and collectivist values, Iranian women have deep beliefs that they should not talk about their marital conflicts with anyone and should respect the reputation of their spouse and family. Therefore, because the health and vitality of family members and the resolution of their conflicts is one of the necessary conditions for achieving the psychological well-being of women, it is of great importance to provide therapeutic interventions, including emotion-focused therapy, and to examine its effectiveness in women with conflicts. Therefore, the present study seeks to answer the question of whether emotion-focused therapy (EFT) is effective on the regret of choosing a spouse and the future anxiety of women with marital conflict?
Methods: The present study was a semi-experimental type of pre-test-post-test design with a control group and follow-up. The statistical population of this research included all women with marital conflict who referred to the counseling center in Tehran for counseling services. Among these people, 30 women were selected voluntarily based on the entry and exit criteria, and 15 people were randomly replaced in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group. Before the intervention, the pre-tests of the regret of choosing a spouse by Schwartz et al. (36) and Zaleski's future anxiety (19) were performed on the research participants. After this stage, the participants of the experimental group received 10 sessions of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) based on Johnson's protocol (40) and the control group did not receive any training. Then, a post-test was conducted on the experimental group and the control group, and a follow-up was conducted on both groups after 45 days from the end of the intervention. The criteria for entering the research include: 1- diagnosis of marital conflict based on their low score in the marital conflict questionnaire, 2- no history of psychiatric problems, 3- bachelor's degree and above, 4- being in the age range between 20 to 50 years old, 5- completion of the informed consent agreement to participate in the research and 6- no history of psychotherapy. People who did not meet the criteria for entering the study were excluded from the study. The data was also tested using the repeated measurement method.
Results: The average (standard deviation) age of all people was 30.76, (9.678); In the experimental group, the mean (standard deviation) of regret for choosing a spouse decreased from 21.18 (6.26) in the pre-test stage to 10.11 (3.78) in the post-test and 10.93 (3.54) in the post-test stage. Follow-up (P < 0.05). Also, in the experimental group, the mean (standard deviation) of future anxiety decreased from 76.56 (11.61) in the pre-test to 55.07 (10.77) in the post-test and 55.65 (10.61) in the Follow-up (P < 0.05). By following the assumptions of repeated measurement analysis, the results showed that the analysis of variance was significant for the within-subject (time) and between-subject factor of regret about choosing a spouse and future anxiety. Bonferroni's post hoc test also showed that there was a significant difference between pre-test and post-test and pre-test and follow-up stages in reducing regret about choosing a spouse and future anxiety (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The results showed that emotion-focused therapy reduced the regret of choosing a spouse in the intervention group. In explaining this finding, it should be said that considering that regretting choosing a spouse is known as an emotion, in emotion-oriented therapy, people are helped to move themselves from problematic emotions to compatible emotions through the use of therapeutic tasks and through the process of intensification of emotions. In fact, emotion-oriented therapy helps people through emotional intensity so that they can finally achieve new emotions, change old emotions and create a new story about themselves and others (41). This process can lead to a reduction in the regret of choosing a spouse for women with marital conflict. Another finding of this research showed that emotion-focused therapy (EFT) reduced future anxiety in the intervention group. In explaining this finding, since future anxiety is negatively related to secure attachment style and negatively related to insecure attachment style (43) it can be said that in women with marital conflict, future anxiety may often be caused by unfulfilled emotional needs, which can be solved through the evaluation and identification of attachment styles and the cycle of negative interactions and the reflection of these interactions according to repetitive patterns of people should be resolved (40). The limitation of this research was its statistical population, that is, women with marital conflict in Tehran, therefore, the generalization of the findings to other cultures and geographical locations is limited. Considering the short-term and as a result the cost-effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy, it is suggested that specialists, psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors use this therapy in working with conflicted women.
Methods: The present study was a semi-experimental type of pre-test-post-test design with a control group and follow-up. The statistical population of this research included all women with marital conflict who referred to the counseling center in Tehran for counseling services. Among these people, 30 women were selected voluntarily based on the entry and exit criteria, and 15 people were randomly replaced in the experimental group and 15 people in the control group. Before the intervention, the pre-tests of the regret of choosing a spouse by Schwartz et al. (36) and Zaleski's future anxiety (19) were performed on the research participants. After this stage, the participants of the experimental group received 10 sessions of emotion-focused therapy (EFT) based on Johnson's protocol (40) and the control group did not receive any training. Then, a post-test was conducted on the experimental group and the control group, and a follow-up was conducted on both groups after 45 days from the end of the intervention. The criteria for entering the research include: 1- diagnosis of marital conflict based on their low score in the marital conflict questionnaire, 2- no history of psychiatric problems, 3- bachelor's degree and above, 4- being in the age range between 20 to 50 years old, 5- completion of the informed consent agreement to participate in the research and 6- no history of psychotherapy. People who did not meet the criteria for entering the study were excluded from the study. The data was also tested using the repeated measurement method.
Results: The average (standard deviation) age of all people was 30.76, (9.678); In the experimental group, the mean (standard deviation) of regret for choosing a spouse decreased from 21.18 (6.26) in the pre-test stage to 10.11 (3.78) in the post-test and 10.93 (3.54) in the post-test stage. Follow-up (P < 0.05). Also, in the experimental group, the mean (standard deviation) of future anxiety decreased from 76.56 (11.61) in the pre-test to 55.07 (10.77) in the post-test and 55.65 (10.61) in the Follow-up (P < 0.05). By following the assumptions of repeated measurement analysis, the results showed that the analysis of variance was significant for the within-subject (time) and between-subject factor of regret about choosing a spouse and future anxiety. Bonferroni's post hoc test also showed that there was a significant difference between pre-test and post-test and pre-test and follow-up stages in reducing regret about choosing a spouse and future anxiety (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The results showed that emotion-focused therapy reduced the regret of choosing a spouse in the intervention group. In explaining this finding, it should be said that considering that regretting choosing a spouse is known as an emotion, in emotion-oriented therapy, people are helped to move themselves from problematic emotions to compatible emotions through the use of therapeutic tasks and through the process of intensification of emotions. In fact, emotion-oriented therapy helps people through emotional intensity so that they can finally achieve new emotions, change old emotions and create a new story about themselves and others (41). This process can lead to a reduction in the regret of choosing a spouse for women with marital conflict. Another finding of this research showed that emotion-focused therapy (EFT) reduced future anxiety in the intervention group. In explaining this finding, since future anxiety is negatively related to secure attachment style and negatively related to insecure attachment style (43) it can be said that in women with marital conflict, future anxiety may often be caused by unfulfilled emotional needs, which can be solved through the evaluation and identification of attachment styles and the cycle of negative interactions and the reflection of these interactions according to repetitive patterns of people should be resolved (40). The limitation of this research was its statistical population, that is, women with marital conflict in Tehran, therefore, the generalization of the findings to other cultures and geographical locations is limited. Considering the short-term and as a result the cost-effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy, it is suggested that specialists, psychologists, psychiatrists and counselors use this therapy in working with conflicted women.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Clinical Psychiatry
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